


Two worlds collide

by scribbles123



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Eventual Smut, F/M, It starts slow so bear with me guys, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Percy being an adult, Percy gets all the hugs, Percy sad feels, Percy taking responsibility, i don't know yet, my boys in love, warning for tooth rotting fluff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-04
Updated: 2018-09-30
Packaged: 2018-10-14 21:40:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 40,755
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10544782
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/scribbles123/pseuds/scribbles123
Summary: Percy gets tired of being a hero and leaves Camp Half-Blood to start his future and study marine biology. That's when he meets the Avengers. More specifically Captain America.





	1. Percy leaves camp

Percy felt so tired.

So tired of people expecting him to be the hero of the day, the son of Poseidon, Defender of Olympus.

What a joke! The great hero nobody wants appearantly...

Annabeth rarely talked to him, since they broke up after defeating Gaia a few months ago. They were supposed to be destined to be together, yet in the end they just didn't work out like that. His friends were always busy or in Camp Jupiter, and when people did spend time with him, they just wanted to spar with him or ask about his quests, which he always refused. He felt so alone and broken. He also missed his mother, but he didn't want to be an intruder now that she was finally happy.

Everything just felt wrong. So wrong...

Sometimes he just wished he could have a normal life. He didn't even know what he wanted to do with his life. He loved the sea, and he always wanted to work with sea creatures or do submarine researches as a kid. With his abilities he could be really successful, he knew that now. He had graduated from highschool, but he didn't apply to any college or univeresity. With his ADHD and dyslexia? Impossible task. Not to mention his PTSD. He still woke up covered in sweat in the middle of the night, from nightmares about failing the quest to defeat Gaia and his friends dying. He hadn't slept feeling safe and content since...he couldn't even remember when. He saw monsters from the corner of his eye everywhere he went, and he was always tense and wary. He was so sick of it.

He just wanted to disappear or hide under a rock and stay there forever.

His days at camp were all the same. Wake up, eat breakfast, train with campers, eat lunch, teach kids swordsplay, eat dinner and go to sleep. All the same. He got to go on quests, but it was always something small and only lasted a few hours to complete. It was wrong, but he wanted to fight something bigger. Or wanted something that could kill him and end all this crap.

He sighed miserably sitting on his bed in cabin three. Tyson was with their father so he was all alone with his thoughts, which did him no good.

He knew he couldn't stay there. He would go insane if this went on. He couldn't stand going trough the same routine for another day.

He made a decision. He needed some time away from camp and everything, to find a new purpose and what he wanted to do with his life. He always felt at home in New York, so he would start there and find accommodation as well as a job that suits him and pays the bills.

After dinner that evenening he made his way to the Big House to talk to Chiron about his plan. He didn't need his approval, but he had to know about him leaving to avoid misunderstandings, like the last time he disappeared. He still felt uneasy when he thought about Hera's brain washing methods.

He knocked on the door and waited until Chiron answered.

He was sitting in his wheelchair by the table, looking distant and thoughtful.

Percy cleared his throat to get his attention.

"Percy, my boy, what can I do for you?" Chiron asked, smiling fondly at the young hero.

"I have to leave." Percy stated firmly.

Chiron's smile disappeared and he slightly dropped his head, sighing defeated.

"I knew you would leave sometime, but I didn't think you would go so soon." Chiron said sadly.

"I can't stay here. You know that. I have to find my own place in the world, away from all of this." he gestured with his hand.

"I know Percy." Chiron sighed "I can't prevent you from going, and I have no intention of stopping you. If you are adamant about leaving, all I can do is help you." Chiron smiled up sadly at Percy.

"Thank you." Percy sniffed, struggling to keep away the tears that were starting to form.

"We will supply you with clothes, ambrosia, nectar, golden drachmas and some mortal money that will help you rent an apartment until you find a steady job. Do you have any idea where will you go?" Chiron asked, worry evident in his voice.

"I was thinking about New York. I've always felt at home there, and there is an Aquarium I always loved to go to with my mother when I was younger. I think I can find a job there. I guess the fact that I can communicate with sea creatures will help me too." he said, smiling slightly.

"Well then, do you have your things packed?" Chiron asked as he wheeled over to where he was standing.

"Yeah. I had my things packed for a while now. I've been nursing the thought for a few weeks and I packed a bag with my stuff just in case." Percy answered, fiddling with his hands with a guilty look.

"Now now. It's not like you are going forever. You are welcome here anytime." Chiron told him smiling, spreading his arms for Percy.

Percy squatted down and hugged Chiron tightly, letting a few tears roll down on his cheeks. Chiron smoothed circles on his back until he calmed down and stood up straight to sweep away the tears from his face.

"I will visit as much as I can. I promise." Percy said smiling slightly.

"I will hold you onto that. You will find everything in the storage house. Good luck, my boy. I hope things will turn for the better for you." the centaur said finally.

"Good bye Chiron." Percy waved before he left the Big House.

He went to the storage house and picked up everything he needed, then he went back to his cabin to pack what was left out.

When he was done he shouldered his backpack, and took a last look at the cabin before walking out and closing the door. This was going to be a long journey.


	2. Percy in the city

Percy took a deep breath of the New York air as he stepped off the bus several hours later. He had to change buses quite a few times for safety but he hadn't encountered any monster since he left the protection of camp. He felt exhausted from the trip but he didn't let his guard down.

First he bought several newspapers and sat down at a café to look for an apartment he could rent for a few nights. He wasn't picky since he didn't look for anything permanent yet. He had to visit the Aquarium and find out if they had any open positions, then he would rent a decent place close to the place.

He ordered a cup of tea and a light meal while he looked through advertisements. He sat there for a while until he found one small apartment that would take him in for a few nights. He called the landlord and made arrangements for two weeks. The rent money was fairly low because it was in a rougher part of the city. It wasn't a problem for Percy as he could defend himself very well. He had Riptide secure in his pocket as always.

After he finished he payed the waiter and left the cafe to head for the apartment. He spent a few hours exploring New York before he actually arrived at the small building the landlord directed him to. The building was in good shape. Well, at least compared to the other ones around.

Percy have heard about the destruction the alien attack caused but he haven't seen it himself before. The Avangers did a good job preventing the city from being swept off the map, but it still looked pretty bad.

Percy frowned to himself before entering the building. His apartment was pretty clean and it had water and electricity so he had nothing to complain about. There was a small living area, a small bathroom and a bedroom with one bed. He dropped his backpack on the bedroom floor and fell face down on the bed. He was really exhausted from the events of the day so he had no problem falling asleep.

* * *

He woke at 9 o'clock in the morning the next day. He woke up two times during the night but it wasn't worse than what he was used to. The sheets were clean and comfortable. Though he had sweated through them, so now he probably had to change them. He didn't bring too much money from camp, but it would be enough for a few months if he used everything wisely. He would just have to keep records of his living expenses so he wouldn't use up too much at once.

However, before he could think about things like that, he had to make sure he found a job. He cleaned himself up in the bathroom and changed his clothes to a pair of jeans and a Camp Half-Blood T-shirt. He looked through the clothes he brought along and decided he would also have to do some shopping as well. He needed something more formal if he wanted to apply for a job anyway. He still wore his necklace with the colorful beads, and he had no intention of taking it off. It carried good memories, even though they got mixed in with bad memories as well. He wore it to honor his fallen friends and campmates afterall.

After he was done changing Percy took out everything he didn't need to carry around town and layed them out on his bed. He left the apartment and took a bus to a busier part of New York. He found a small café and sat down there with his stuff. Even though demigods didn't use modern technology, they kept devices like laptops and smartphones in storage if anybody needed them. Percy didn't like the idea of attracting monsters, but he needed to use the internet to find himself a job, so he brought along a notebook and a smartphone from camp.

He set the laptop up on his table and connected to the café's Wi-fi. While he caught up with news he ordered breakfast and ate in silence as he scrolled through pages of news. He read some about the Avengers and the fight that took part in the city 6 months ago. The Stark Tower was rebuilt and now it was the Avengers Tower. It looked impressive and well designed. Percy wondered what would Annabeth think of it.

He couldn't find much information about the Avengers themselves. Well, except Ironman and Captain America. Stark had always been loud and arrogant so it was hard not to know anything about him. Captain America on the other hand seemed rather humble. Not to mention incredibly handsome. He didn't find anything about the rest of the team other than their names. There was Thor, Hawkeye, Black Widow and the Hulk. Percy found Black Widow scarier than the Hulk for some reason.

After spending some time surfing the web he decided it was time to get down to work.

First he checked out the Aquarium's website, because it had been years since he visited the place last time. It wasn't that far from where he was sitting at the time. Of course he could just rent a place closer to the Aquarium so he could cover the distance on feet. That would save a lot of money for him in the long run.

He checked the open positions and found out he couldn't work with animals without experience and marine biology education. Although for now just working there would be beneficial. He could go to marine biology courses and make money there at the same time so it seemed fine. Plus he was sure if he studied hard he could get to work with animals even if just for the sake of learning and taking care of animals and not for money. Maybe later he could even move up to be an actual animal caretaker.

Funny enough, one day ago it seemed impossible to try to apply to any school because of his self doubt, but now he felt ready to try and study hard. He felt like he could take up the challange. It felt good to be able to take care of himself for once and not be in a life or death situation.

Chiron gave him a form that provided him some working experience as a camp director assistant so that will help him with applying. His criminal records were clean, even though over the years he had some trouble with authorities, so that was out of the way. He even had a driving license but he hadn't had the chance to use it before.

He looked over the employee application form and saved it on his notebook. He opened up the notes application on his phone and made a list of the things he needed to do that day.

He needed to print and copy some forms, he needed to buy some clothes, buy groceries, and buy some stuff he needed for everyday life, also he had to look for a cheap apartment close to the Aquarium he can rent, send in his application for the job and marine biology courses.

As he looked through his list he felt all kinds of emotions. He felt happy, determined, excited, but also nervous and scared.

He had a lot of work to do in the next few months, but he looked forward to it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Percy's so grown up ; w ; I feel like a proud mom ; w ;  
> Thank you for reading ^^  
> Comments and kudos are greatly appreciated .w./  
> Also English is not my mother language so I'm sorry for the grammatical errors or the misspellings ; w ;


	3. Percy life update

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is kind of a filler chapter before I get to the more interesting things :3

Things were really looking up for Percy.

 

 

He got hired and his marine biology courses were going well. He studied his ass off when he wasn't working in the Aquarium, but he felt proud of himself. He had been working and studying for almost half a year but he already learned a lot about ocean life. After 2-3 months the staff let him tag along to feedings just to observe and on rare occasions he got to help out. Later, sometimes he even got to guide tourists or students around the Aquarium. He talked passionately about everything and the people who visited the place seemed to like it and felt more encouraged to ask about the creatures living there. It also helped that Percy could tell if one of the animals had problems or didn't feel well. His collegues joked that he understood animals like Aquaman can talk to sea creatures. Which wasn't that far from the truth actually. He knew the place and the animals by heart and the employees liked him too. He didn't make a lot of friends there but he liked where he was and got along with everyone.

 

 

He often visited his mother too, and he was happy to share his experiences from work and his studies with her. He had to kill several monsters since he returned to New York but it wasn't too bad. He figured even monsters got scared of the alien attack and most of them probably left the city when they were fighting with Gaia.

 

 

He rented a one bedroom apartment closer to his workplace, which as an inprovement had a small kitchen too and he had acess to Wi-fi as well, and he had a well practiced daily routine planned out according to his work hours and the courses he was attending to. His professors seemed to appreciate his efforts despite his dyslexia and gave him extra assignments for extra credit. It was a lot of work but it was well worth it and he enjoyed it too most of the time.

 

 

However, he was disappointed that none of his friends really cared about him leaving. He got Iris Messages from Tyson and Chiron, or Grover from time to time, but other than that nobody really seemed to care. At first it made him sad and angry, but after some time he came to accept it and he was only disappointed in them, so he distracted himself with work and studying.

 

 

His PTSD wasn't as bad as it had been before. He still had nightmares occasionally but they weren't as frequent. He didn't see monsters everywhere he went anymore and he was more relaxed thanks to his job and his goals.

 

 

All in all, he was happy with his current life despite his doubts at the beginning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! ^^  
> The next chapter will take more time to write so I might not update for a while because I haven't planned out everything yet.  
> So have a filler kind of thing for the time being :3  
> Kudos and comments are greatly appreciated .w.


	4. Percy gets an offer he can't decline

Percy woke to the alarm he had set to 6 am. He always had a morning run to help him focus during the rest of the day, then he spent a few hours studying and working on his assignments before going to his workplace. So he had to wake up at around 5-6 am every day except the weekends.

 He dismissed the alarm on his phone and got out of bed lazily. He only slept in his underwear, so he slipped into his running clothes and left his apartmemt for his morning laps. He returned to his apartemtn at around 7 o'clock and showered before eating breakfast. While he ate he looked through the news and checked his emails.

 The Avengers made more appearances recently, and seemed more active around the tower in general. Of course Tony Stark was the loudest of them all, and appearantly Thor wasn't even on the same planet all the time. Percy passingly wondered if the gods had connections with aliens at all. He finished his breakfast and got down to study for his classes, did some research for his assignments.

He went to evening classes, so he had mornings to study his notes, and left from work at 5 pm to get to the university in time.

He was done with what he was doing at 9 am and packed his stuff so it would be ready when he left for work. The Aquarium usually opened at 10 am and closed at 5 pm, but it wasn't a problem, since his apartment was only a few minutes away and he could cover the distance by feet. There were also buses that would drop him off directly in front of the place if he needed that.

He ate some cereal and drank some orange juice before he left for work. He always felt great pleasure in taking that short walk every day and feel the sun on his skin, breathe the smoky air. He only used the bus when he felt really tired or was in a hurry. Even though New York wasn't a particularly sunny or warm place, somehow he always had his tan. His coworkers always brought it up and at first they said it was weird. Percy didn't really care about it and just shrugged it off, but it was kinda strange when he thought about it more.

He was walking in the main entrance after only a few minutes and greeted the staff and security workers. He then went to the staff changing room to drop off his backpack in his locker, change into his uniform T-shirt and put on his nametag. He had another nametag for guiding, but he didn't wear it usually because originally he was a cashier, and had the other nametag in his pocket next to Riptide just in case.

Hesecured his locker, fixed his T-shirt and nametag before he joined the others behind the cash registers. He had roughly 20 minutes until opening, so he checked if everything was working with the cash register and stocked up of the things that were needed to serve customers.

The security guard opened up the doors of the main entrance and the first few visitors wandered inside. Before he could click into his role as a cashier one of his collegues approached him.

"Hey Perce." David, a student he shared classes with, greeted him with a small smile.

"Hey Dave. What's up?" Percy asked smiling back.

"The boss asked me to take over for you. His assistant said he wanted to have a word with you." he answered.

Percy's brows furrowed in confusion and he frowned slightly. Had he done something wrong? Was he being fired?! He had never even talked with the actual President of the Aquarium before. Panick started to rise in him and he bit his lower lip. Finally he shook himself internally and nodded to Dave stiffly. He let David take his place and he made his way to the offices. Dave waved him goodbye before turning to the first customer.

Percy gulped loudly and felt sweat form on his forehead, then roll down on his face as he dragged his feet on the floor until he could see the desk of his boss' secretary. Laurel was a young, good-natured, very hard-working woman not much older than Percy, who was friendly with everyone. She smiled at Percy as she spotted him and wawed him over.

"Hello Percy." she smiled at him.

 "H-Hey. Uhm. D-Did Dr Davis want to speak with me?" he asked with a nervous laugh.

She raised an eyebrow hearing his nervousness "Yes. But don't worry, you hadn't done anything wrong Perce." she chuckled at the relieved sigh that escaped Percy after hearing that.

"He's in his office, waiting for you." she smiled gently.

"Thanks." he gave her a small smile in return. He took a deep breath and knocked on the door.

"Come in." came the muffled reply from the office.

Percy opened the door and stepped in the well lit office. It wasn't a big room, but it had huge windows and it was really stylish, full of wood and warm colours. If he wasn't so nervous, he would have said it was pretty welcoming. A middle aged man sat behind the desk, wearing an expensive looking navy blue suit and a red tye. He didn't look up from his paperwork instantly, writing something, so Percy shuffled in front of the desk awkwardly and waited, looking around the place.

"Percy Jackson," the man's voice startled him as he stood up and extended his hand "nice to meet you. I'm Dr Davis, the director of this facility." he smiled winningly.

Percy took his hand awkwardly "Nice to meet you too, sir." he tried to smile politely.

"You have no reason to be nervous young man." Dr Davis chuckled as they shook hands and sit back down "I've only heard good things about you." he smiled.

"You have, sir?" Percy asked surprised.

"Yes. The staff and our caretakers spoke highly of you. I've heard that you study marine biology. How are your studies going?" he asked gently.

"Good, sir. It takes longer for me to study because of my dyslexia, but I got used to my pace of learning." Percy answered honestly.

"I'm impressed by your work." Percy blushed at the compliment "So I wanted to offer you something. You should give someone a tour tomorrow." he went on.

"A tour, sir? But I'm not a guide." Percy said confused.

"I'm aware. But I've also heard that you have given tours before, correct?" he smiled knowingly.

"Y-Yes."

"Our guides tomorrow will be preoccupied with booked tours for tourists and school groups. But, a major funder of this Aquarium asked me a favor. A special someone wanted to visit the place and get to know the animals better. And since noone is available tomorrow, and I've heard you can be trusted to do a good job, I thought about you." he finished smiling.

Percy stared at him, eyes wide. He thought about him? He wanted to accept the offer, but what if he messed it up and couldn't work here anymore? He bit his lower lip in anxiety and looked down on his feet.

"Of course It will benefit you if you complete the tour and the customer will be satisfied." Dr Davis added in a more serious tone.

Percy lifted his head and looked at him questioningly.

"If you complete the task successfully, I will promote you to be a full time guide here." he smiled again with a glint in his eyes.

"R-Really?" Percy's voice cracked in excitement.

The man nodded pleasantly.

"I promise to do a good job!" Percy smiled widely, eager to accept the offer.

Dr Davis chuckled at his eagerness and gave him a piece of paper "You will meet him tomorrow at 11 am in one of our guest rooms. The number is written on the paper. You will give him a complete tour and introduce all of our animals. Come to my office after it's over and we will discuss your promotion." he stood up again and offered Percy his hand.

Percy shook his hand without hesitation, smiling broadly.

"I won't disappoint you sir." he promised as he left the office.

"How did it go?" Laurel asked him as he stepped out of the office, smiling knowingly.

"You knew?" he asked in disbelief.

She only shrugged and winked at him.

Percy shook his head, laughing lightly as he went back to the visitors area and stood behind one of the cash registers. He spent the whole day in a good mood, and when he left for his evening courses he had a bounce in his steps. After his classes ended and he flopped down on his bed exhausted he fell asleep smiling. He couldn't wait until tomorrow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! :3  
> I thought this chapter would take longer to write but I decided not to overcomplicate it.
> 
> I did research on how a place like the Aquarium works but I'm still clueless mostly so please don't read too much into it ^^;  
> I hope you enjoyed it anyway .w.
> 
> Comments and kudos are greatly appreciated .w.


	5. Percy and Steve

Steve felt uncomfortable about the situation he was in the moment.

 When he told Tony he wanted to visit the Aquarium, this wasn't what he had in mind. Two days earlier he had told Tony he was planning to pay the place a visit, and of course the big Tony Stark couldn't let things be simple now, could he? He announced that he was going to book a tour for Steve, and, well, that seemed innocent at first. He thought he could wear a baseball cap and hide his face to blend in with people.

 And boy was he wrong! Tony called the president of the Aquarium and got him a personal guide for the whole day, just to himself. It was easy enough, since he was a major founder and he was in good terms with Dr Davis. Steve tried to decline, but Tony had already made the arragements and it would have been rude to say he didn't want to go at that point.

 He was sitting in the guest room he was directed to, and waited for his guide to show up. He had still put on a baseball cap just to be safe. He didn't want to cause a scene if somebody recognised him. It was still strage to him. People idolized him and called him a hero, when all he did was protect his country and his people. But it couldn't be helped now. He had to make the best of the situation and enjoy the tour as best as he can. He came for the animals anyway.

 He sighed defeated, rubbing his eyes with his palms. The room was quiet, except for the sound of the clock that was ticking on the wall. He rested his head on his hands and closed his eyes.

 The sound of the doorhandle being pushed down broke the silence. Steve stood up and watched as the door slowly opened, holding his breath.

 A young man walked in uncertainly with a piece of paper in one of his hands. He was tall, his body was lithe but well defined. His skin tanned like a surfer's, and it looked almost flawless, except for small scars on his arms and legs, which seemed rather strange. His hair was raven black and messy, like he never combed it and it grew wild. His eyes were the most interesting though. They seemed to change color from green to blue, like the sea was swirling in them. They made his face more handsome and mysterious.

 Those seagreen eyes blinked up at him uncertainly.

 "Um." the man spoke up "Are you the one I'm supposed to give a tour?"

 Steve shook himself mentally and stopped his staring.

 "Yeah. That's me." Steve answered in a more hoarse voice than he intended to.

 The young man smiled up at him and stepped closer, extending his hand.

 "My name is Percy Jackson. I will be your guide today, it seems." he introduced himself as they shook hands.

 Steve cleared his throat "I'm Steve. Steve Rogers, nice to meet you." he said awkwardly.

 "Yeah. I figured." Percy chuckled softly "This cap of yours doesn't hide too well your, um, characteristics." he said looking him up and down, smirking with a playful glint in his eyes.

 Steve blushed and looked sideways while Percy laughed at his shyness.

 Percy got a hold of himself and checked his watch "Well come on Captain. We have a lot to see." he said as he strode towards the door. Steve sighed still blushing, and followed Percy out of the room.

 They walked slowly as Percy talked about the various animals they could see in the tubes, occasionally stopping to point them out in the different exhibits. Steve listened to him smiling, sometimes laughing at Percy's ridiculous puns and jokes. He could see how much Percy loved the sea and the animals, as he talked about them with great passion and answered patiently all of Steve's questions. Somehow Percy's cheerfulness brightened up everything around him and Steve couldn't help but smile as well.

 Steve found everything interesting and watched everything with awe. In his time there weren't things like that place, so he cherished every moment. He felt disappointed when they were close to the end of the tour. They were currently standing in a more deserted part of the building. There wasn't anyone around them as they watched mediterrian fishes swim around the tub. The weird thing was that sometimes the animals stopped and looked at Percy, who smiled at them in return. Steve found it confusing but didn't comment on it.

 "Perrrrrccccy Jackson." someone spoke from behind them in a low, raspy, hissing female voice.

 Both Steve and Percy spun around quiclky, Percy's hand going into his pocket. He pulled out a ballpoint pen and grasped it tightly. An old lady was standing a few feet ahead of them, grinning at Percy wickedly.

 Steve tried to take a step forward but Percy put his hand up to stop him.

Percy narrowed his eyes at the old lady, a scrowl forming on his face "What do you want?" he asked in a dangerously low voice.

 The old woman only smiled more wide at that, which seemed rather impossible, as her smile already looked like it threatened to split her head in two "I've been looking for you, Percy Jackson." she laughed softly.

 Steve eyed Percy's shaking hand that was holding the ballpoint pen with a worried expression. What was he planning to do with a pen? And what had this old woman to do with him?

 "You shouldn't look for trouble on purpose. Especially with me. You should know that by now." Percy gritted out.

 The old woman just kept on chuckling "Why, should I run from you instead young hero?" her expression turned grim "You shall pay for what you have done!" she growled.

 Her features started to change seemingly at once. Her legs shifted into snake tails from her waist down, her flower spotted dress shifted into a coat of green scales that covered her whole body. Oddly enough, her head stayed man-like, but even more ugly than it was before. Steve watched her with wide eyes as she bared her sharp snake teeth at Percy.

 She made an inhuman highpitched sound as she leaped forward right at them.

 Percy muttered words in an unknown language under his breath and rolled away in the last second, before the snake woman could touch him. Breaking from his daze, Steve managed to duck and roll sideways as well.

 As Percy stood up he uncapped the ballpointment, which turned into a medium length glowing sword. Steve watched in awe as Percy ducked the creature's attacks restlessly, making the fight look like they were dancing around eachother.

 Finally Percy managed to get a good swing and slashed the monster to a powdery substance, that looked a lot like ash, as the sword cut through its body. It was a quick fight, yet Steve felt like he had watched at least for an hour. Percy bent down next to the pile of ash and ran his hand through it. He stood up breathing heavily and locked eyes with Steve, who only stood a few feet away from him.

 Percy sighed and looked down at the pile again, setting his lips in a thin line "I'm sorry you had to see that." he returned the sword into a pen and pocketed it.

 Yeah well, Steve had seen a lot of weird things since he woke up from his ice coma so it wasn't that big of a shock really. The snake woman did look rather terrifying, but the way Percy fought the monster really took his breath away.

 Steve gulped "What was that thing?"

 Percy looked up to meet his gaze "It was a dracenae. They roam the underworld. Mostly. But it's back in Tartarus for now." he said, kicking the pile of ash with one foot.

 "Alright." Steve said slowly "Why did it attack you?" he asked carefully.

 Percy shrugged "Well...I don't know the exact reason. It can be tied to defeating Kronos or Gaea. Personally, I can't bring myself to care anymore. It's not like monsters need a purpose to attack demigods." he said bitterly.

 "Demigods?" Steve questioned, brows furrowed.

 Percy sighed again "Look, I'm sorry this interrupted your tour, but I just...I can't tell you everything right now. It's late and I still have stuff to do."

 "I understand." Steve nodded, a little disappointed.

 "Give me your phone." Percy told him firmly.

 Steve looked confused, but he handed him the phone Tony had given him "I will give you my number so we can meet up somewhere I can explain everything." he told Steve as he typed in his number and sent himself a quick text message. He handed back the device and fished out his to save Steve's number.

 "Would you mind coming to the Tower? I think it would be the best if you explained this to the rest of the team too. I'm pretty sure Tony will see the tape from the security cameras and he will ask questions I won't be able to answer. And eventually he will call on you." Steve said seriously.

 Percy gulped. The Avengers looking for him? Especially Black Widow. That he wasn't keen on finding out. He cleared his throat "Yeah, sure. Not a problem. I will ask my boss to give me some time tomorrow so I can go to the Tower before my classes."

 Steve nodded "It's arranged then. I will inform Tony of your visit and call the Avengers together for a meeting." he paused "I...I had a really good time with you today, Percy." he smiled down gently at the young hero.

 Percy looked away blushing "Y-Yeah me too. I enjoyed spending time with you." he said, scratching the back of his neck nervously. He checked his watch and frowned "We better get back. The Aquarium closes in 10 minutes." Steve nodded and they walked back together in silence. Percy stole glances every now and then at Steve, wondering if the Avengers would believe him or just think he was crazy. He had no idea what the mist made the fight look like on the tape. They might just think he murdered an old lady in cold blood. His thoughts were interrupted as they reached the main entrance.

 "So...I will see you around?" Steve asked smiling.

 "Sure." Percy waved as Steve walked out the door. He sighed loudly when the man was out of sight. He went to the bathroom and washed off some ash that got caught on him and refreshed himself, then he made his way down the hall to the offices and greeted Laurel with a small smile.

 "Hey Perce!" she smiled at him brightly "How did it go?" she asked excited.

 Percy chuckled fondly "It went fine. I had a good time." he smiled.

 "Well, Dr Davis is in his office. He's expecting you." she informed him.

 "Right" Percy set his lips in a thin line "Wish me luck." he knocked on the door of the office and waited for approval. He opened the door and stepped in when he was told to do so, feeling almost as nervous as he did the day before, stopping in front of Dr Davis's desk.

 The man behind the desk gestured for him to sit down in the chair in front of him. Percy sat down slowly in a hunched position and glanced nervously around the room.

 "So, I heard that the costumer was satisfied with you. More than satisfied actually." he paused there "And Tony Stark asked me to give you a break tomorrow for some reason. May I ask what was that about?" he asked with an amused expression.

  _"Huh.That was fast."_ Percy thought.

 "W-Well...the Avengers wanted to discuss something with me tomorrow." he answered nervously.

 The older man hummed in return "I was satisfied with your services today. As I had promised, I will promote you to work as a full time guide." he smiled as Percy's face lit up "And I think you deserve some time to yourself. I'm sure you hardly relax between your work here and your studies."

 "Thank you sir!" Percy beamed, his previous nervousness already forgotten.

 Dr Davis chuckled "Next time you come in to work and you finished changing to your uniform, come straight to my office. I will have everything ready for your promotion." he said finally and stood up to shake Percy's hand.

 "I promise to work hard sir!" Percy said seriously as they shook hands.

 "I'm sure you will." Dr Davis smiled and sent him off.

 Percy slumped with relief as he left the office. Laurel instantly wrapped him in a hug, smiling from ear to ear.

 "Congratulations Percy! You deserve it." Percy smiled into her shoulder as he wrapped his arms around her. She was such a nice person. He was glad to know her.

 "Thanks Laurel." he closed his eyes and enjoyed the warmth the gesture gave him.

 

 * * *

 

 Steve rode to the Tower on his bike deep in thought.

 The whole thing was so confusing. He hoped once Percy gave them some insight things would clear out. First things first, he had to inform the team.

 He drove inside the underground garage of the tower and parked his bike in his parking spot. After he secured his motorbike he made his way to the lifts and pressed the calling button. The lift was empty as it stopped in front of him and stepped in, pressing the button to the penthouse floor. He frowned to himself as he recalled the fight and the snake woman.

 "Welcome back Captain Rogers. Shall I inform Master Stark and Miss Potts about your arrival? They are in the common area currently." the AI's voice startled him out of his thoughts.

 "Yes, Jarvis. Please inform every Avenger who is in the tower to meet me in the common area. We have to discuss a serious matter."

 "They are on their way Captain."

 "Thank you, Jarvis." he said finally as he arrived on the penthouse level. He stepped out of the elevator and made his way down the hall to the common area. Tony and Pepper were sitting on the couch in front of the TV, Tony flicking through the channels with a bored expression and Pepper scrolling through her tablet.

 "Hey Cap. How did it go?" Tony didn't even look away from the screen as he spoke.

 "I had a good time...mostly." Steve answered, frowning again.

 "See? I told you it was a good idea-- What?" Pepper tapping on his shoulder and pointing at Steve didn't let him finish the sentence. He shared a worried look with her.

 "Steve, did something happen?" Pepper asked, concern creepying into her voice.

 "I--" he was cut off as Clint and Natasha appeared out of nowhere and flopped down on the couch next to Pepper.

 "This better be good Cap." Clint lay back frowning. Natasha folded her arms and narrowed her eyes at Steve.

 Bruce walked in looking confused at the tension in the room "Why did you call us here Steve? Did something happen?" he asked, brows furrowed.

 Tony muted the TV and brought his full attention to the team.

 "I went to the Aquarium today," Clint and Natasha both raised an eyebrow at the statement "and I had someone guiding me the whole day." Steve ignored them and went on "A young man named Percy Jackson." Tony tapped on his phone for a few seconds and pulled up Percy's information on the TV screen.

 "Looks like a normal teenager. He has weird cleared police records about exploding buses but other than that he seems ordinary." Tony said, eyeing the screen.

 "He's hot though." Clint put in, Natasha smirking next to him.

 Steve flushed pink at that and cleared his throat "Like I said, he guided me the whole day. At the end of the tour something weird happened, something I still have a hard time wrapping my head around. We were in a more deserted area, when someone attacked us." everyone stiffened at that "More precisely, she attacked Percy." Steve explained, and by that point Tony had already pulled up the CCTV recordings and everyone looked at the screen in dismay.

"To me it looks as if he killed an old defenseless woman with a freaking glowing sword, and you did nothing to stop it!" Tony said unimpressed, gesturing at the screen. Even Clint and Natasha looked surprised.

 Steve furrowed his brows in confusion. The tape showed a completely different scenario than what originally had happened. _This can't be right_ , he thought. Everyone in the room looked at him expectantly.

 "Look, I know it doesn't make sense now but it's not how it happened. The woman wasn't defenseless." he took a shaky breath as he remembered the snake woman "Percy killed her in self defense." Clint and Natasha still looked skeptic "I told Percy he can come here and explain everything tomorrow. Let's agree on a time we can all gather here and hear him out." he said seriously, using his authoritive voice.

 "Well, I guess he can come here tomorrow at one pm, if that's okay with the spy twins." Tony sighed, looking sideways at Clint and Natasha.

 Clint looked bored while Natasha glared at Tony "We can be here Cap. We don't have anything to do tomorrow." Clint said finally.

 "I'm always here, so It's no problem." Bruce put in.

 "Tony doesn't have any meetings to attend to. Although I'm not sure where Thor currently is, if he makes an appearance I will tell him to join you." Pepper said with a small smile.

 "Tomorrow one pm it is then. I will call him immediately and let him know." Steve nodded to everyone and left the room to call Percy.

He searched through his contacts until he found the name he was looking for. He set his lips in a thin line and stared at the name, finger hovering above the call icon. He exhaled slowly and pressed the icon, walking down the hall as he put the phone next to his ear. After what felt like hours Percy picked it up.

 "Hello?"

 "Hi, Percy. It's me, Steve. I arranged the meeting for tomorrow at one pm. The whole team will be here. Well, maybe except for Thor, but he might make an appearance too. Is that okay with you?" Steve asked, biting his lower lip.

 "Uh. Yeah. Of course. I will have plenty of time to explain some of the things and then leave for my classes." Percy answered.

 "Okay. Have a nice day, Percy. If you need a vehicle tomorrow, Tony can send someone to pick you up. Just send me a text or call me and he will send a car."

 "Alright. Thank you. See you tomorrow Steve." Percy said finally before he hung up.

 Steve let out a relieved sigh. For some reason Percy made him feel nervous. He couldn't pinpoint why though. He pocketed his phone and walked back to the common area. Tony was smirking at him from his spot on the couch and Pepper was smiling down at her tablet. Clint and Natasha were gone (What a surprise) and Bruce was in the kitchen making tea.

 "So. How did the talk with your boyfriend go?" Tony asked, smirking until Pepper punched his arm and glared at him. Tony rubbed the spot with a pout and dropped the subject, bringing his attention back to the TV instead.

 "Is he coming tomorrow Steve?" Pepper asked after she stopped glaring at Tony.

 Steve merely lifted an eyebrow, as he was quite used to Tony's childish behaviour at that point "Yes, he's coming. I offered him a car if he can't arrange his travel here." Pepper smiled and went back to her tablet. Steve joined Bruce in the kitchen and made himself a cup of tea. Coffee didn't have any effects on him, and to be honest he didn't like its taste anyway. Tea always helped him relax, if only its familiar taste. He sat down in an armchair and sipped his tea in silence as his thoughts swirled around his brain. He looked out the big windows of the tower, deep in thought.

 What was the name that Percy said? Dracenae? He hoped things would make more sense the next day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!^^  
> I didn't have much time to work on the fic this weekend because I had a literature essay to write :< I'll need some time to get in the mood again  
> Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it :3  
> Comments and Kudos are greatly appreciated .w./


	6. Percy Jackson and the Avengers

Percy was freaking out. And that's putting it lightly.

When Steve had called him the previous night, he thought he would faint on the spot. He struggled to keep his voice calm and casual through the conversation as his heart threatened to jump out of his chest.

He was going to the Avengers Tower for gods's sake!

He had to explain everything to them. He was so not good at explaining stuff to mortals. He barely ever remembered greek mythology when they needed the facts during their quests, and now he was so out of the Hero-of-Olympus mindset. The adrenaline boost from fighting the dracenae really felt good though. He didn't want Steve to see it, but the monster had attacked them, so it couldn't be helped now.

 He sighed above the varius notebooks spread out in front of him. He had a hard time focusing on his notes, thanks to this mess. He just wanted a normal life for once.

 _"The gods must be really hating me...wait...they do!"_ he thought, and sighed again miserably.

He closed his notebooks and put everything away in his backpack. He glanced at the clock on the wall to see it was already half past twelve, and he had absolutely no idea how to get to the Tower. He felt guilty about it, but he sent Steve a text asking if he could take him up on the car offer. Not ten minutes later he heard the intercom buzz next the door of his apartment. He walked over to door and pushed the button to answer the call.

"Am I talking to Percy Jackson?" a man's pleasant voice came through.

"Uh. Yes"

"I'm supposed to take you to the Tower."

"I'll be down in a minute!" Percy said before he ran to the kitchen and picked up his backpack and keys. He locked the door and ran down the stairs to the entrance. A black car parked in front of the building, with a middle aged man standing at the door of the backseat. Percy approached the car with uncertain steps and stopped in front of the man.

The man smiled at him as he extended his hand "Happy Hogan. I'm Tony Stark's main body guard and head of security. He asked me to give you a ride."

"Percy Jackson." the man only nodded and opened the backseat door for Percy before taking his seat behind the wheel. Percy felt weird and a bit uncomfortable about being treated like that, but he tried to relax in his seat.

Happy told Percy embarrassinng stories about Tony and his scandals from before they got together with Pepper to ease the mood. Percy was grabbing his abdomen by the time they turned up in front of the Avengers Tower, gasping for air from laughing so much. Happy opened the door for him grinning, and patted his back fondly. Percy waved him goodbye smiling, already feeling much better, and looked up at the enormous building that was the Avengers headquarters.

He took a deep breath and entered the building. He looked around the hall until his gaze fell upon a man standing at the elevators, casually tapping away on his phone looking bored, while security workers stood in front of him and tried to push away Ironman fans and reporters. Percy lifted an eyebrow at the scene and frowned.

Suddenly the man looked up from his phone and smirked at Percy, waving him over. Percy shuffled over awkwardly, trying to get through the crowd. As he reached the security officer that was holding people back, he let Percy trough. Tony pocketed his phone and approached Percy with a smile.

He stopped in front of the young hero, looking him up and down, while he extended his hand "Tony Stark." he said shortly.

Percy accepted his hand nervously "Percy Jackson." he felt his face redden under his calculating gaze. He didn't dress differently just because he had to meet the Avengers, so he felt a bit underdressed compared to the older man. He wore a Camp Half-Blood T-shirt and a pair of shorts with sneakers. He always felt more warm than others around him, even if it was colder, and he always dressed lightly, but now he kind of regretted not putting on something more formal. Percy shifted his weight, looking anywhere but Tony as he withdrew his hand.

Finally Tony took pity on him and led him to an elevator that opened up just at that moment. They stepped in and Tony pushed the button to the penthouse floor.

"Jarvis. Is everyone in the common area?" Tony asked, checking his watch.

"Yes, Master Stark. Every member is there, except Master Thor." the AI's voice startled Percy.

"What was that?" he asked confused.

"That's my AI, Jarvis." Tony smirked at him.

"AI?" Percy tilted his head in confusion.

"Artificial intelligence. He controls everything in here and he is responsible for the survaillance too. He is kind of like my butler. Say hello Jarvis." Tony smirked, looking up at the camera in the elevator.

"Good day, Master Jackson. Let me welcome you to the Avengers Tower." Jarvis greeted him politely.

"Um. Thank you Mr Jarvis" Percy said awkwardly.

"Please, call me Jarvis." Tony would have sworn there was a hint of amusement in the AI's voice. He smiled to himself as they arrived at the penthouse floor.

Percy followed Tony to the common area, looking around in awe. He bumped into the older man when he suddenly stopped in front of him.

"S-Sorry." he stuttered out. Tony only lifted an eyebrow and stepped sideways to reveal the Avengers sitting on the biggest couch in the middle of the room. Steve was sitting at one end, Bruce next to him with a cup of tea, Clint and Natasha on the other end, comfortable against each other. Steve greeted him with a small smile Percy returned shyly.

"So." Tony spoke up finally "Let me introduce you to the team. This is Steve Rogers, who you already know, and this is Bruce Banner," Bruce smiled and nodded "and the spy twins. Clint Barton and Natasha Romanov." Tony gestured at them, making Natasha give him a deadly stare.

 Yupp. Percy made his final decision. Black Widow was definitely scarier than the Hulk.

 "Now," Tony went on, not even paying attention to Natasha's murderous staring, on a more serious note "we would like you to explain what was that about." he said as he pulled up the CCTV recordings. "Steve said it wasn't what it looks like, but it seems pretty obvious to me that you killed an innocent woman." Percy snorted at that.

Tony wrinkled his nose "What's funny about that?" he asked slightly angry.

"You could barely call that a woman. And it was anything but innocent." Percy answered, pointing at the screen.

"So you are saying you didn't murder an old lady with a freaking glowing sword?!" Tony exclaimed.

Percy took out his ballpoint pen and uncapped it "You mean this? It couldn't even touch you." Percy snorted as he showed them Riptide. Clint and Natasha stiffened at the sight of the weapon, and their hands instantly came to rest on their belts.

"Steve. Could you help me demonstrate something?" Percy asked turning to Steve.

Steve furrowed his brows in confusion but nodded and got up from his spot on the couch and walked over where Percy was standing.

"Do you trust me?" Percy asked him seriously. Steve only nodded, not knowing where this was going. Percy raised Riptide over his head and made a swing that would've cut Steve in a half if he wasn't mortal. The blade went through him like he was made out of smoke, to everyone's surprise.

"See? It can't harm mortals. It's made of celestial bronze." Percy stated calmly as he put Riptide away. Steve nodded stiffly and gulped.

"What do you mean by mortals?" Bruce asked, suddenly very much curious.

"I'll get to that but--" the sound of a thunder cracking through the silence made Percy stop midsentence, body going stiff and pale. Everybody watched him with a questioning expression.

Another crack of thunder close to the Tower made Percy wince, hand going in his pocket by instinct. Percy saw a man land on the balcony outside at the next thunder. Nobody looked surprised to see him enter, smiling broadly, spinning a hammer in his hand playfully.

"My friends! It is my great pleasure to see you all here together! I was visiting Jane when Pepper called to inform me about this meeting--" as his gaze rested upon Percy, his smile faded and his eyes went wide with recognition.

He dropped the hammer, which landed with a loud thud and a dent in the floor.

"Hey! What did you do that for?! That will need fixing!" Tony shouted at him in an effort to get his attention, rather unsuccessfully as Thor didn't pay him any mind, his eyes fixed on Percy.

"Young Perseus Jackson?" Thor spoke in a hoarse voice that almost sounded hurt.

"Uh. Yes?" Percy took a step back, feeling uncomfortable with everyone staring at him so weirdly, especially the Norse god.

In the next moment strong arms wrapped him in a tight hug, pulling him closer to a warm body. He felt so surprised, he didn't know what to make of the situation, so he only stood there awkwardly frozen. When Thor finally withdrew from the hug, he had tears in his eyes.

"I'm so sorry for invading your space like that, but I just wanted to do this for such a long time!" Thor told him smiling sadly "Heimdal saw everything you did. Every step you made. I wanted to help you so badly but he would tell me it wasn't meant to happen like that. He told me if things really got out of hand I could help you, but you were so brave. You did so great Percy." Percy didn't know who Heimdal was, but Thor sounded sincere, and he couldn't help but let a few tears roll down his cheek. Somebody did see him. Somebody did want to help him afterall.

Thor wrapped his arms around Percy again, and this time Percy accepted the hug happily. Everybody looked at them with surprised expressions, and Steve felt a pang of jealousy at the sight of the rather emotional exchange.

When they parted from the hug Percy sniffed and wiped the tears away with the back of his hand.

"Alright. What the hell is going on?! Do you know him?" Tony asked Thor impatiently.

"Of course I do. Everyone should know him. He had saved Earth numerous times." Thor exclaimed, genuinely surprised that nobody recognised the young hero at all.

"Right...Did saving Earth include murdering old ladies?" Tony said, waving his hands at the TV screen.

Thor barked a laugh at the scene on the tape "You call that an old lady?" he chuckled "You can't see it, can you?" Thor asked, looking at each of the Avengers, who shook their heads in return confused.

Thor sighed, putting his hands on Percy's shoulders and led him to a nearby smaller couch to sit down with him. Percy had calmed down somewhat by that point and sent Thor a grateful smile.

"I'm sorry about the lightnings. They must have made you uncomfortable." Thor said frowning slightly.

"It's fine" Percy told him reassuringly, turning to the rest of the team to start his explanation.

"It will be hard to believe, and even I had a hard time understanding it at first, but I am not mortal like the rest of you. I am a demigod."

"Are you related to Odin too?" Bruce asked curiously.

Thor chuckled at that and shook his head amused.

"No. Um...you all know about Greek mythology and Greek gods right?" they nodded slowly, not understanding why that was important.

"Well, they are real. Very much real, and I am the son of a god. That's why I'm a demigod." Tony snorted, while Clint and Natasha narrowed their eyes at Percy, not convinced at all. Steve and Bruce were listening intensely, curious to find out more.

"Yeah, right and which god is your father?" Tony asked sarcastically, rolling his eyes.

"Poseidon." Percy answered, like it was obvious.

"I think you will have to start from the beginning, Percy. That way they will understand everything." Thor told him quietly, taking his hand to encourage him.

Percy took a shaky breath and nodded slowly, his memories about his first quest very vivid in his mind. "I will tell you how I got to know this world, from my perspective. The best way to do that is if I tell you about my first quest." he said in a shaky voice.

"Quest?" Steve cut in.

Percy nodded "You see, demigods are born from one godly parent, and they are born with ADHD and dyslexia. The ADHD is to help them during fights and focus on combat, the dyslexia is because our brains are programmed for ancient greek rather than modern english. We have a hard time reading modern english and often mix up things." he explained.

"But you go to university, right? Don't you have a hard time there with dyslexia?" Bruce asked.

Percy nodded "It's hard. But I enjoy what I'm learning and I work hard to keep up with my classes." Bruce hummed, impressed with his determination.

"Your father is Poseidon. So you're like Aquaman?" Tony asked with a smirk.

"Well, somewhat..." Percy muttered, scratching the back of his neck nervously.

"How?" Clint chimed in, interested in his answer.

"Uh. Demigods with different godly parents are born with different abilities. Like the children of Athena are very smart, the children of Ares are born for combat and war, the children of Aphrodite can use charmspeak and are born with the ability to speak French fluently. Those are just a few examples. Me...well, I can breath under water and control it. Water also heals me. I can talk to horses and sea creatures." he answered nervously.

Clint whistled "Neat." he grinned.

"Anyway." Percy cleared his throat "Demigods attract monsters and often die very young. That's why Greek demigods at around the age of 10-13 get brought to Camp Half-Blood. There's a camp for Romans called Camp Jupiter but that's a different story. Anyway. They are safe there and they can train to fight monsters, and also get to go on quests. Gods can't interfere with what's happening on Earth, that's why they need heroes. They hate to admit it but they need us. We do their dirty work by going on quests." he exhaled shakily. Thor smoothed circles on his back, trying to calm him as he spoke.

Everyone looked grim in the room, surprised by what they had just learned.

"You get involved in all of this at such a young age?" Bruce asked gently.

Percy smiled sadly at the memory of his lost friends and campmates, playing with the beads on his necklace. "Most of us are troubled children and run away from home at a young age, don't live long. Every time we go on a quest or fight a monster, we have to consider the fact that it might be our last one. Demigods have a hard time fitting in this world, as we function differently from you. People don't know we exist, therefore we rarely get help." he said, looking up at them. They all shared looks, even Clint and Natasha seemed guilty.

"What is it that we can't see on the video?" Tony asked finally what everyone was curious about.

"Well, there's a magical force called Mist, that hides mythological beings and buildings, even changes things like that tape so mortals don't find out about us or go insane thinking they saw something that doesn't exist in their world. It's hard to see trough the Mist sometimes even for demigods, but in rare cases mortals can see past it like my mother or my friend, Reachel. Some demigods are even able to manipulate it and use it to their advantage. I'm guessing the video shows me killing an old lady." everyone nodded, except Thor.

"I was fighting a dracenae. It's a nasty monster that mostly roams the Underworld. It's skin is covered in scales and it has snake tails from waist down. I sent it back to Tartarus for now, but monsters don't stay there forever. Eventually they reform, though it may take days, months, even years or decades." he said grimly.

Tony nodded, now understanding. If he looked really hard, he could almost see now the woman's form flickering and turning into something more ugly and inhuman.

"But why did it attack you in a public place?" Clint questioned, Natasha nodding her agreement.

Percy smiled dryly "I honestly don't know. I have killed a lot of monsters and I have done a lot of things monsters had to suffer for. But monsters never need an excuse to attack us. And they don't care for mortals very much. Luckily the Mist masks up things like that, although most of the time I get in trouble for that." he frowned to himself.

"I'm guessing those weird bus explosions and the other stuff from your cleared police records are connected with monsters." Tony said.

Percy nodded grimly "Anyway, back to the topic." he sighed.

Percy started his story with telling them about his life with his mother and Gabe, and explained how his mother had to put up with Gabe for his sake, because he was a son of the big three and his smell was stronger to monsters. He told them how he met Grover and Chiron, describing them to the team, and his very first encounter with a fury in the museum.

He then proceeded to tell them about his "trip" to Camp Half-Blood, and how his mother dissolved in front of his eyes, and then how he killed the Minotaur.

He explained how Camp used to work at the time and how he almost got killed on his first Capture the flag game. He told them how he got accused of stealing the master bolt and how that threatened to bring war among gods and destruction on Earth.

He told them how he got his first quest with Annabeth Chase, a daughter of Athena, and Grover Underwood the satyr, to retrieve the master bolt that was supposed to be in the posession of Hades.

He explained their adventures in detail so that everything made sense. Well, as much as it could make sense to them. Thor supported him as he spoke, helping him with explaining things as Percy got overwhelmed by the memories he tried so hard to suppress during all those years.

He told them about his encounter with Medusa and the other various monsters they came across during their quest. He also added their encounter with Ares at the diner and how he tricked them, the Lotus Casino and its effect on people and how they almost got stuck there forever. How they reached the gate to the Underworld and how he discovered that the master bolt was in his backpack all along.

He told them how they escaped from the Underworld just to get to know that Ares stole the master bolt and the helm of darkness from the unknown original thief, in the hopes of sparking a war between the gods. Percy told them about the battle with Ares on Santa Monica beach to get the helm back and give it to Hades, hoping to get his mother back and take the master bolt to Olympus on the 600th floor of the Empire State Building, before they ran out of time until the start of winter solstice.

He told them he suspicioned even then that Kronos was stirring, but the gods wouldn't listen to him. Everyone found it shocking when Percy finished his story with revealing Luke Castellan as the lightning thief, and his attempt at killing Percy on the last day of camp in the woods.

Even though Percy had made peace with Luke when he sacrificed himself, the memory of his betrayal still hurt as Luke was the first guy he came to admire and looked up to, maybe even had a crush on him, that turned into pure hatred slowly after that.

Nobody dared to interrupt Percy as they intensely listened to the young demigod. Clint and Natasha had seen a lot of shit but even then, listening to Percy, they found everything just as shocking as the others did.

When Percy finished his story, nobody knew what to say. He looked both mentally and emotionally exhausted as Thor hugged him close. And that was only the start of the madness appearantly. They couldn't imagine what else could've happened to Percy, but they weren't so sure they wanted to know anymore.

After some time Percy regained some of his composure and excused himself to get to his evening classes. Tony, Bruce, Thor and Steve tried to prevent him from leaving, but Percy told them he needed something to distract himself with. They didn't like it, but they had to let him leave. To everyone's surprise Clint and Natasha both wrapped him in a tight embrace before he could leave and made him promise to come back soon. Percy smiled and promised to do so.

He thanked Thor, slightly flustered, for supporting him, making Thor smile warmly at him and wrap him in a big bear hug that would've crushed a mortal easily.

Steve bit his lip nervously, not knowing what to say to all of this. Things were more clear of course, but he found it so unfair how much Percy had to go through this at such a young age and had to take up on himself such responsibilities. He practically saved the whole planet and nobody even knew that any of what he told them happened at all. Percy saw the distress in his eyes and approached him with a small smile.

"Hey big guy." he smiled up at Steve, who couldn't look at him directly.

"Percy I--" Percy held up one finger to silence him. Steve furrowed his brows in confusion and looked at him questioningly.

"Look, Steve. I didn't tell you guys all of this to make you feel guilty, sad, or angry. And I don't need anyone's pity either. Nobody could've prevented any of what happened. It was literally meant to happen like that. My fate was written in prophercies and riddles, and I did everything I was supposed to do. It's past me. I just want a normal life and continue my studies, do my job. I don't want you to feel bad on my behalf. You should know by now that I hate sadness." he told Steve seriously, locking eyes with him.

Steve bit his lip again and nodded. Percy smiled at him, this time wrapping his arms around him. Steve was surprised at first and froze, but eventually he returned the hug and buried his face in Percy's messy hair, smiling into it. They stayed like that for a while until Tony cleared his throat to get their attention.

"Percy. It's 4:40 , do you need a ride to the university?" he asked, lifting an eyebrow as Steve and Percy untangled themselves swiftly, flushing red.

"Y-Yeah. That would be nice." he said, grabbing his backpack that was left forgotten next to the couch. He turned to smile at everyone in the room and said goodbye with a small wave before he left.

Long silence followed Percy's exit, the team sat at loss of words.

"Impressive kid." Tony spoke up finally in a quiet voice.

Thor nodded in agreement "Young Perseus is a great warrior, even though he doesn't like to think of himself as one."

"So...everything he told us is true?" Clint asked, still finding it hard to believe, and hugged Natasha closer to him.

"It is true indeed. I had the "pleasure" of meeting Zeus--" thunder cracked in the silence in retort, making everyone jump. Thor frowned up at the sky and shook his head "I think you can guess that he doesn't like me. He is arrogant and doesn't listen to reason. Percy is a greater hero than any of us, maybe even greater than the gods themselves, despite their power. He protected the gods, in spite of their ungratefulness, and protected his friends even when it seemed impossible and he knew he was marching into his death. You haven't got the slightest idea what he had been through." he said sadly.

Nobody spoke after that, and eventually everyone left, except Steve, who sat there for a while deep in thought. Every time he got to know something new about Percy, he admired him even more. He couldn't forget the warm feeling still lingering in his body from their embrace. He wondered if Percy felt it too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! :3  
> It took me a while to write this, and I'm still not quite satisfied with the outcome. But I didn't want to make you wait too long .w.  
> Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it. Let me know what you thought about it. I might rewrite it in the future.  
> Comments and kudos are greatly appreciated .w./


	7. An unexpected delay

Percy lay awake that night on his bed facing the ceiling. His thoughts didn't seem to want to quiet down after he flopped down on his bed, when he finally got home from his classes. His thoughts kept going back to that afternoon at the Avengers Tower. It had been an emotional roller coaster to relive the events of his first quest. It was a relief that Thor helped him through it, and every member of the team was very understanding. When Clint and Natasha sandwitched him and gave him a tight embrace, he felt like he could faint any moment. The way they acted made him feel welcomed and warm, but also kind of broken.

 Those strangers, who only just started to get to know him, showed more concern and affection towards him than his so called friends and campmates did in the last few months. The same friends he had trusted with his life during several quests and trips to expected death missions. He felt angry tears forming and blurring his vision as he traced the craks on the ceiling with his eyes. He felt a bit bad about leaving the team, especially after they tried to make him stay, but he had to take off his mind of everything and focus on something else. He buried his face in his pillow and sniffed quietly in his moon lit bedroom.

He tried to chase away his negative thoughts and memories, and focus on the positive things. He remembered the warmth and safety he felt when Steve wrapped his arms around him, and found himself smiling slightly at the memory. Steve was so big and firm, but also very humble and sweet. His brows arched so adorably when he furrowed them in confusion. And his big sky blue eyes shone so bright and seemed to shift in colours like the sky during the day. He wasn't a science genious or a doctor, but he was intelligent and a true leader, always looking out for his team. His shyness was rather endearing. He also looked kind of like a puppy. Percy chuckled quietly and sighed into the pillow, now more relaxed, and closed his eyes. After a moment of silence his eyes shot open, as the realization caught up with his clouded mind.

  _"Oh. I have a crush on Steve."_ it hit him like a ton of bricks.

He set his lips in a thin line and narrowed his eyes. Having a crush on Captain freaking America was so cliché of him! Steve would never want to date him. Let alone look at him in that way.

He sighed and figured it would be the problem of the future Percy. He needed some well earned rest for his first day of work as an official guide in the Aquarium. The reminder of his new work status brought a smile on his face and he closed his eyes. The exhaustion of the day finally kicked in and Percy fell asleep rather quickly.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Percy woke up at 5 am the next morning and went through his usual morning routine. After he was done with his morning run and had eaten breakfast, he went through his notes from the previous night. They were kind of confusing and looked like parts were missing, propably due to his focus being all over the place that afternoon. After some attempts at trying to figure out what his notes were about, rather unsuccessfully, he closed his notebooks and pursed his lips, thinking about a solution. He decided he would ask Dave to lend him his notes and take pictures of it, as they shared several classes and David always documented everything properly, and had helped him a lot at the beginning when he started taking marine biology courses.

Percy glanced up at the clock on the wall, his face twisting in surprise at how much time he had spent trying to untangle his notes. It was already nine thirty-six, which meant he had to get ready to leave for work. He put away everything in his backpack and put on his sneakers. He made sure to lock everything before he left his apartment and made the short walk to the Aquarium.

As he was getting close to the outer gates he spotted a crowd in front of the main entrance. He frowned and made his way closer to the people, who were pushing each other around to get a look at what was happening at the door. When Percy finally spotted the person that caused the excitement, he groaned and rubbed his temples to ease the already forming headache.

Tony was standing at the door, signing photos of himself and flirting with fans, playing the charming hero he was known to be. Percy pushed through the crowd rather forcefully and when he reached Tony, he grabbed his wrist and dragged him inside the building all the way to the hall that led to the offices. When he let go of him Tony rubbed his wrist and pouted at Percy.

"What are you doing here?" Percy crossed his arms in front of his chest and gave Tony an annoyed look.

"Well, I came here to see what I invest my money into." he grinned and slang an arm around Percy's shoulder "And who better show me everything than the newest guide?" Percy narrowed his eyes and frowned, eyeing the arm Tony had around him, not believing the man at all.

Tony cleared his throat and removed his arm "Okay, truth is, I wanted to talk to you, kid. I've spoken to your boss about it." he said on a more serious note. Percy spent a good amount of time searching the man's face, but finally sighed defeatedly and ran a hand through his messy hair.

"Fine. But I have to get changed first."

Tony nodded "I'll be waiting at the cash registers."

Percy caught his arm before he could leave and narrowed his eyes again "Don't cause a scene again." he warned.

Tony held up his hands "Geez, fine kid. I'll behave." Percy shook his head and made his way to the staff changing room. He saw David getting on his uniform so he approached him with a small smile.

When Dave noticed him he returned the smile "Hey Perce. What's up?" he asked as he rummaged through his bag.

"Hi Dave. Uh. I wanted to ask for a favor." Dave nodded and gestured for him to go on "Well, yesterday I had a hard time focusing on the lectures and my notes got messed up. Would you mind If I took pictures of yours and compare it with mine to fill out the gaps?" he asked, feeling embarrassed about his lack of focus and sloppy work.

Dave only chuckled amused and patted his shoulder "Don't worry Perce. I'll lend you my notes." he smiled as Percy's face lit up "I know you have to work harder than any of us. It's okay to slip sometimes. Besides. You have helped me numerous times as well, so don't worry about it." Percy smiled at him gratefully as Dave started to dig in his backpack for his notes. "Also," he said as Percy snapped pictures of the pages he needed "I wanted to congratulatetou on your promotion. You will do a wonderful job as a guide." he wrapped his arms around Percy and ruffled his hair playfully. Percy glared at him halfheartedly, that turned into a small amused smile and shook his head.

"Thanks Dave. First I have to take care of someone though." he rolled his eyes as he walked to his locker and pulled off his shirt.

Dave hummed "Is that a special someone?" he asked with a small smile.

Percy groaned as he fixed his uniform "It's Tony Stark." he said shortly, in a slightly annoyed voice. Dave lifted an eyebrow questioningly. Percy sighed and pocketed the keys to his locker before turning to David.

"I kinda met the Avengers yesterday, and now he wants to talk about something appearantly." he said in a rushed tone, scratching the back of his neck nervously. David patted his back in simpathy and together they walked to the cashiers, where they parted ways. Dave stood behind a cash register and Percy went to find Tony.

Tony, true to his word, stood in a small corner of the room looking bored, until he spotted the demigod. Percy approached him with a slightly annoyed expression and dragged him along with himself to a guest waiting room. Once they were alone Percy closed his eyes and rubbed his temples sighing.

"Spill, Stark." he gritted out as he opened his eyes to glare at him.

"Fine!" Tony threw his arms up "Don't have to be a jerk about it you know..." he muttered as he fixed his expensive suit. "I kind of want you on the team...?" Tony said carefully.

"Excuse me?!" Percy crossed his arms.

"Well, obviously there are a lot of things about your world that we don't know, and while there is a lot of Greek mithology documented, we don't really know how accurate it is. And we don't see through this "Mist", so we might miss some things. Thor isn't always on Earth, so we could really use your assistance." he said slowly "Also, I thought it would be the best to ask you before a certain someone finds out about it and sticks his nose into things he shouldn't. " Tony added, rolling his eyes and Percy still glaring at him.

Percy sighed finally and rubbed a hand down his face "Who are you talking about? You know what? I don't want to know. Look Tony, I really don't need this in my life. I just want to be normal. What I told you yesterday is just how I got into all of this. You have no idea." he said defeatedly and sat down on a nearby chair, resting his head in his hands.

Tony sat down next to him and put a hand on his shoulder in a friendly gesture, and cleared his throat "I'm not asking you to go out with us and fight anything if you don't want to. You could, because the way you fought was very effective and you have a natural talent for it. But, of course now I'm just asking you to assist us on some of our missions and look through files and see if you find anything Greek related or suspicious, when you have the time. Just as a consultant and nothing more. You could move in the tower if you want and I would even pay you for your time. You can of course continue working here if you like and continue your studies, we can agree on a meeting schedule or something." he sighed before he continued "I know you have been through a lot, but we are trying to protect people like you used to. We didn't even know about your existence before. We need your help, Percy. I'm not trying to force you into anything, I'm just asking you to give it a bit of a thought. You know where to find us and you are always welcome among us. Even the spy twins developed a liking to you." he smirked at Percy.

Tony rose from his seat "Just think about it. You have my and Steve's number on your phone if you are ready to give an answer."

"Wait what? Your number in my phone? How did you-- Oh nevermind..." Percy rolled his eyes annoyed as Tony smirked down at him.

"That was all you wanted?" Percy stood from his seat.

"Yeah kid. I have a meeting to attend to." he gestured at his suit "But remember that even if you decline my offer, you are always welcome in the tower. The staff knows about you and Jarvis can clear up any misunderstandings." he smiled genuinely and patted Percy's shoulder as they left the guest room.

Tony said goodbye and left once they were in the hall. Percy watched him go with slight suspicion but he knew he couldn't just refuse to help without thinking it over properly. He ran a hand through his hair in a frustration and walked down the hall to the offices.

Laurel was sitting behind her desk and smiled at Percy brightly as he approached her.

"Hi Percy!" she beamed. Percy smiled fondly at her and shook his head in amusement.

"Hey Laurel" he leaned against her desk and pecked her forehead. She giggled in return and leaned back in her chair, playing with a lock of hair.

"Boss's waiting for you." she said playfully.

Percy sighed and pulled himself back from her desk, and turned at the direction of the door to Dr Davis's office. He turned back to smile at Laurel one more time.

"Wish me luck." he took a deep breath and knocked on the door.

No answer.

He frowned and tried to open it, but it was locked from inside. By then Laurel was watching him with curiosity.

"Is he on a lunch break or something?"

Laurel shook her head "He didn't leave his office." she said as she eyed the door.

Percy knocked again, but this time he heard ruttling sounds and faint hissing. He dug out Riptide from his pocket with wide eyes and turned to Laurel.

"Laurel! Call the police immediately! Hurry!" was all he said before he kicked the door in, only to find three dracenae in the small office.

One was standing by the window, while the other two were in the process of tying up an unconscious looking Dr Davis. The one at the window leaped forward at Percy, but was sliced to ash as Percy uncapped Riptide and sidestepped the dracenae, bringing down his sword on the monster.

A low, raspy laughter brought back Percy's attention to the other two dracenae "You will suffer, Perccccy Jackssssson, just like we did." they both grinned, showing off their sharp snake teeth.

Percy only sighed, very much tired of monsters messing with his life, especially his workplace and boss. "Would you please untie my boss and get the hell out of here? I'm really not in the mood for this." he said with an annoyed expression.

 

The two dracenae dropped Dr Davis's toneless body on the floor and hissed at Percy, weapons drawn and ready to attack. Percy shook his head and rolled his shoulders backward, Riptide battle ready in his hand, adrenaline buzzing inside him already. When the monsters only glanced at eachother, and didn't attack, Percy lifted an eyebrow.

"Can we get this over with? The mortal police will be there in any minute and I have to explain the mess you made." he frowned.

The dracenae shared one last look with each other, and in a matter of seconds they were out of the building through the open window. Percy rushed to the window, but the monsters were already gone. He sighed again and shrank Riptide back to its ballpoint pen form. He undid the ties on Dr. Davis and and checked his pulse. He was alive, but unconscious. Laurel uncertainly peeked in the room and gasped when he saw her boss lying on the floor.

"T-The police are on their way. I called an ambulance too just to be sure." she managed as she knelt down next to Percy. Percy put his arm around her shaking form and held her close.

"Don't worry. He's going to be fine." he tried to calm her, smoothing circles on her small back. She whimpered into his shirt, making Percy pull her closer to himself. He frowned down at the pile of ash the first dracenae dissolved into and cursed those stupid monsters.

 _"What was their plan anyway? What were they trying to accomplish by taking Dr. Davis?"_ he frowned to himself.

The police and ambulance came a few minutes later. The police closed down the building and everyone had to leave except the staff. They took Percy's and Laurel's statement and their informations. Percy told them that three men broke in and tried to kidnap Dr Davis, so he had to kick in the door to stop them in time. He told them that they escaped through the window where they came from. The police questioned him about the scales scattered in the office and the pile of ash at the door, but Percy only shrugged and said he didn't know anything about that. It was kind of concerning even for himself how easy it was for him to lie to the police. Or anyone in general. The officer who took his statement told him grimly that he found it hard to believe that three men ran for it when they saw him, and that the whole story was rather suspicious. He let Percy go though, with a warning that he will be contacted once they got a hold on the CCTV recordings and not to leave the city.

Meanwhile, Dr Davis was taken to the hospital. He didn't have serious injuries, only some bruises and scratches, thankfully no concussion or serious head injury. Laurel went with him to the hospital and called his wife.

Once everything was over and they let the staff and Percy go, it was already late in the afternoon. Percy called the university and explained the situation and that he couldn't attend to his classes that day. By the time he changed back to his street clothes and left the building, a huge crowd was standing outside, some of the people taking pictures and recording the police doing their work. What caught Percy's attention was a black car turning up behind the crowd of people, a worried looking Clint and Natasha jumping out, looking around warily, until their gaze rested on Percy. They pushed through the crowd of people and strode towards Percy. Once they reached him Natasha cupped his face in her hands and turned his head in every direction to get a good look on him.

"Jarvis warned us that someone called the police and ambulance from here. Are you hurt? What happened?" Natasha and Clint asked as they fussed around him to see if he had any external injuries.

Percy put his hand on Natasha's and shook his head amused, a small smile tugging on his lips "I'm fine, mom. I'm not hurt at all." he laughed softly as they sandwitched him between their bodies in an awkward embrace. After a few seconds Percy felt slightly flushed and uncomfortable in the close proximity of the two very attractive assasins. They wore casual clothes, but they were still in public. In front of people who were taking pictures of everything. Percy cleared his throat "Guys. I think we should move this to another place." he wriggled between them.

Clint stepped back first "Right." he looked around them slightly flushed. Natasha didn't seem to mind, taking her time to untangle herself. She grabbed Percy's wrist and started to drag him to the car "Come on. We are taking you to the tower. Steve and Bruce are worried sick about you as well. We came to take you." Natasha fixed him with a stare before he could protest "No arguing. You are coming." she opened the backseat door and nudged Percy inside. Once he was seated, Clint and Natasha took their seat at the wheel and the passanger seat.

The drive to the tower was fast and quiet, nobody spoke, but Natasha and Clint stole worried glances at Percy from time to time. Percy felt exhausted and didn't feel like talking much, plus he knew he had to explain everything to the team anyway.

When they reached the tower the three of them took the elevator to the penthouse floor. Thor joined them along the way and greeted Percy warmly, and kept him under his arm for the whole ride. Pepper, Tony and Bruce greeted them when they reached the penthouse floor.

"Hello Percy. I'm Pepper." she smiled at him and extended her hand.

Percy smiled in return and shook her hand "Nice to meet you." he turned to the whole group and rolled his eyes. "Guys. Calm down. I'm fine, nothing happened, really." he shook his head chuckling.

"Are you sure? Please, let me at least take a look at you to make sure." Bruce said with pleading eyes, everybody nodding their agreement.

Percy found that he couldn't say no "Fine. But then please stop acting like I'm a kid." he huffed and wrinkled his nose rather adorably, which earned a chuckle from them.

"Percy..." Steve's breathless voice made everyone turn at the direction of the hall.

Percy gulped, a light flush creeping to his cheeks. Steve was sweaty and panting and he looked like he ran up the stairs all the way here. His hair stuck to his forehead and his toned chest was heaving with every labored breath he took. The way he looked should have been illegal in Percy's opinion, but he kept the thought to himself. His breath hitched when Steve wrapped him in a tight embrace and murmured a soft "I was worried about you." into his hair.

Tony cleared his throat loudly to get their attention. Steve let Percy go slowly and smiled at him sheepishly. Percy's heart did a flip in his chest at the smile directed to him and he flushed dark red to the tip of his ears. He turned around swiftly and sat down stiffly on the couch, that was in the middle of the room, next to Bruce.

Bruce checked his head for any damage and his face for any visible injury, then he motioned for him to take down his shirt. Percy hesitantly lifted the hem of his shirt and pulled it off in a swift motion. Everyone in the room gasped as they saw the revealed skin that was glittered with smaller and bigger scars, bite marks and burn marks from explosives. Bruce wordlessly ran his hand through every inch of skin with a grim expression and sighed finally when he was finished. Percy felt oddly exposed and couldn't wait to put his shirt back on.

"Are those...?" Bruce triled off as he traced a bigger scar on his torso with his hand. Percy shivered slightly at the touch and nodded slowly. The team and Pepper shared worried looks with each other. Percy shrugged under Bruce's hand "The bigger ones are from my first quest and the war against Kronos. Though I don't keep records of them." he retrieved his shirt from Steve with a grateful smile and put it back on.

"Percy, please tell us what happened at the Aquarium." Tony sat down next to him with Pepper. Percy nodded and told them about the dracenae and their escape after he killed one of them. He told them what they had said about him suffering like they did. He shared his thoughts about why they would want to kidnap his boss and what they could accomplish with that.

"That doesn't make sense." Steve scratched the back of his neck in frustration, Percy nodding his agreement.

"I don't see what business they could have with Dr Davis. As far as I know, he's mortal. Though I might have to ask him directly about that." he sighed.

"I left you there for five minutes." Tony shook his head, his lips set in a thin line.

"You were there?" Clint and Natasha asked in unison. Tony nodded "I wanted to ask Percy if he could help us identify Greek funny business during our missions or if anything comes up. Strictly as a consultant though. Nothing more if he doesn't want to. I offered him accommodation in the tower and even to pay for his time if he wants. I left after that for a meeting." he frowned to himself.

"Tony, I thought we agreed that we wouldn't make decisions alone. We are a team for a reason." Steve crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes at Tony.

"It makes sense though." Bruce put in carefully.

"It does. I know some things about Percy's world, but not everything. And I'm not here on Earth all the time, and not as much as I want to." Thor nodded grimly.

"Well, when you put it like that..." Steve trailed off.

"I haven't thought it over properly." Percy said in a quiet voice, bringing everyone's attention back to him.

"Of course. We didn't mean to pressure you." Steve put a reassuring hand on his shoulder and gave a small squeeze, Percy smiling in return.

"It would be good if you stayed here for the night though. Those creatures know where you work. Maybe they even followed you to your apartment." Natasha knelt down in front of Percy and smoothed a hand down his cheek.

"Plus, it's the weekend. You don't have work or university tomorrow. We would feel better if you stayed with us." Clint stood beside Natasha.

Percy stared at them wide eyed in disbelief. They wanted him here? He felt all kinds of weirdness. For him, the outcast, it was almost overwhelmingly warm and kind. But at the sime time he really didn't feel comfortable invading their space like that.

"I'm not sure that's a good idea..." he looked away from their pleading faces.

"Please, Percy. I insist. If you want, Happy can drive you home tomorrow or anywhere you want to go." Tony offered.

Percy sighed defeated when he saw the way Steve was looking at him, eyes full of hope "Fine. But I have to go and see Dr Davis in the hospital. I have to ask him if he knows why those dracenae wanted to take him, and if he heard what they planned to do with him." he stated firmly and stood up from his place on the couch.

Tony held up his hands grinning "All right. Fine by me." everyone nodded "Now, if you don't get dragged in Natasha and Clint's nest, then Pepper will show you the room you will be staying in for the night." he ignored the deadly stare from Natasha again, and patted Percy's shoulder.

Pepper shook her head, amused of how the team seemed to adopt Percy instantly, and without any objection or hesitation. It was good to see them agree on something for once. Pepper knew about Tony's visit at Percy's workplace, and found it amusing that Tony wanted to keep him close so bad that he had already offered the tower as a home for him. Also, the way Natasha and Clint fussed around him and kept touching him so much was adorable.

She linked her arm with the young demigod and led him to the elevator. Percy turned to smile at the team one last time, then they disappeared behind the doors. Percy chewed his bottom lip in nervousness and frustration until Pepper patted his arm and smiled at him sympathetically.

"I know it seems like a lot to take in so soon, but they are good people, and they genuinely seem to care about your well being. They very rarely agree on something, but the way they accepted you instantly got them together." Percy couldn't help but smile. Even though the Avengers were a team of very dangerous and powerful people, not to mention attractive, they acted like such puppies around him. It was kind of enderading really "I guess you are right." Percy chuckled softly.

"Lesson one. I'm always right." she smiled and patted his arm again as the elevator reached the floor where Percy's accommodation for the night was supposed to be. They walked together through the hall and stopped in front of a door at the far end.

"Here we are." she smiled and handed Percy a card "You can open the door with this card. Tony got this room ready for you just in case you decided to move in. There is a small kitchen in there, but the main kitchen we eat in is next to the common area. I'll leave you to it. Good night Percy." with that she turned around and walked back to the elevator. She gave one last smile and a small wave before she was gone, leaving Percy baffled in front of the door.

"Is something wrong Master Jackson?" the AI's voice startled Percy and he jumped slightly at the sudden sound.

"Everything is fine Jarvis. Thank you. I'm just...kind of overwhelmed I guess?" Percy opened the door and his mouth instantly fell open.

The living area was almost bigger than his small apartment. The walls were a very light, almost white shade of blue and purple, the curtains a dark turqoise colour. There was a small couch and an armchair with a coffee table, on the wall opposite the couch hang an enormous TV with game consoles and video games under it. The wall was decorated with beautiful oil paintings of sea creatures and sea life. Percy found the design really welcoming and it was quite impressive that Tony managed that in two days.

 _"Sneaky idiot."_ Percy smiled to himself.

The bedroom was decorated in the same way, with a huge bed and a desk with a Stark Industries laptop already set up and ready to use. There was a wardrobe stocked with all kinds of clothes and shoes in his size, on bookshelves were marine biology books and illustration books on all kinds of sea life.

The bathroom was really impressive. It was easily larger than his bedroom in his apartment and had a large bathtube and a shower as well. Percy found some clothes in the wardrobe he could sleep in and immedietaly stripped to get a shower and wash away the exhaustion of the day.

Once he was fresh and clean he drank some water from the "small" kitchen and set his alarm to 5 am for the next day. He flopped down on the bed face first and tucked himself under the covers. Everything smelled nice and felt warm and cozy, so he had no trouble falling asleep. It felt good to be taken care of like that for a change.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading and I'm so sorry about the long wait! >~<  
> It's the end of the school year soon and everything is crazy. I hope you like it nonethless ^^; Let me know what you think, your opinion helps me a lot in deciding what to write next .w.  
> Comments and kudos are very much appreciated! .w./  
> Have a nice day, and until the next update, I'll see you later! ^^


	8. Extended family

When Percy's alarm shook him from his sleep, he didn't know where he was and he sat up confused, looking around him. Then he remembered that he was at the Avengers Tower, and laid back down slowly. He didn't feel the need to get up and do his morning run, and he felt surprisingly well rested. The bed was really comfortable and the sheets smelled of peach. He spent a few minutes just closing his eyes and relaxing in the warmth of the bed. Soon his stomach started grumbling, and he realised how hungry he was. He hadn't eaten anything the afternoon before and he completely forgot about it.

  
He got up and washed his teeth at the bathroom sink, and checked his phone if he got any emails or messages. He put on shorts and a T-shirt from the wardrobe, and pocketed his card and phone before he left his room. He looked around the empty hall and ran a hand trough his messy hair feeling lost.

  
"Good morning, Master Jackson. May I assist you in any way?" Percy jumped startled at the sudden sound, grabbing at his heart "Gods, Jarvis. You are going to give me a heart attack one day" he whined.

  
"My most humble apologies. Are you lost by any chance, Master Jackson?" Percy would've sworn he could hear the AI smile, although he knew that wasn't possible. He straightened his back and looked around, remembering his problem and rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.

  
"Yeah, I kind of am. Could you help me find the kitchen?"

  
"Of course. I will direct you there" Jarvis true to his word directed Percy to the elevator and took him to the penthause level, then told him where he could find the kitchen.

  
"Thank you Jarvis, I couldn't have gotten here without you" Percy smiled up at the ceiling.

  
"My pleasure Master Jackson. Is there anything else I can help you with?"

  
"Well. Can you tell me if anyone's up already?" Percy asked as he looked around the kitchen. It was very nicely designed and big, with a huge dining table at the far end of it.

  
"Captain Rogers left early for his morning run and Thor left for Asgard the night before. He sends his apologies for not being able to say goodbye to you. Everyone else's asleep in their rooms"

  
Percy nodded "Thank you Jarvis. That's all I wanted" he smiled.

  
"Don't hesitate to ask me if you need anything"

  
"I will" Percy made his way to the fridge and the cabinets to check the contents. The kitchen was well stocked with all kinds of food and baking equipment. He even found some blue food colouring, which gave him an idea. It'd been long since he last visited his mother and she made him blue food. He smiled to himself and picked out the engridients for pancakes and got down to work. When he was done with mixing the batter together, he set it aside and started cleaning up. He was washing the counter with a wet cloth when Clint and Natasha stepped into the kitchen, still in their sleeping clothes. They greeted him sleepily and ruffled his hair playfully. They sat down at the dining table, muffling their yawns with their hands while they watched Percy work.

  
"What are you working on?" Clint asked, resting his head on his hand lazily.

  
"I'm making pancakes. Just cleaning up first" Percy smiled.

  
"Pancakes?" Natasha's head shot up. Percy chuckled at their hungry expressions and nodded.

  
"Want some?" he laughed when they nodded eagerly, and greased a pan to start cooking "While I do the cooking, you should set up the table for everyone" the spies groaned in unison but got to work nonetheless. After some minutes of cooking, the room was filled with the smell of fresh pancakes and fruits Percy cut up. At some point Tony and Pepper turned up with Bruce and greeted Percy before they got their morning coffe and tea, and sat down at the table. Steve got back from the shower after his run and found everyone in the kitchen, quite surprised that they were together. Normally they all got up at different times with different morning routines and hardly saw eachother. The sight before him was oddly domestic, but the way Percy was standing in front of the stove, humming softly under his breath and flipping pancakes, made warmth fill his chest and his heart beat a little faster. He smiled to himself and joined the others at the table, greeting everyone politely.

  
Everybody looked questioningly at Percy when he set down the blue pancakes at the table with fresh cut up fruits and different toppings, but Percy just laughed and told them to eat first and talk later. After he cleaned up he sat down next to Steve, smiling shyly and got his own pancakes to eat. Clint and Natasha moaned in anticipation when they tasted the pancakes and complimented them like they were the food of gods, making Percy blush. They were eating in comfortable silence, enjoying their meals.

  
Percy collected their plates and brought everything to the sink to wash them when they finished eating. Tony protested that he really didn't have to do that, but Percy hushed him and told him he liked to help that way and he wanted to thank them for letting him stay for the night. Steve walked up next to him and cleared his throat.

  
"Can I help you with anything?" he asked in a more hoarse voice than he intended to.

  
Percy hummed, weighing the idea, then nodded "I will wash everything, you can dry them and put them away in their places" Steve smiled and nodded. They worked in comfortable silence while the others chatted at the table about nothing in particular.

Percy hummed under his breath as he washed the plates, Steve listening to him. Steve wished they could do this every morning, especially if Percy was here with them. He found his presence calming but cheering at the same time, like when you watch the calm ocean water and smell the fresh salty air.

  
"Have you...uh...thought about it?" Steve turned to look at Percy as they were finishing up with washing.

  
"Not really...but I don't think it would be a good idea...I'm a monster magnet. Even though there are less monsters in the city because of the...um...alien incident, they still found me and now this mess with my boss..." he paused with a sigh "I don't want to be a bother" he said quetly, looking down at his hands in the sink.

  
"Percy look at me" Steve lifted his chin with one hand and looked directly in his eyes. Percy felt his face redden under his intense gaze "You will never be a burden to us. You already mean a lot to us and we would do anything for you. You got that?" Steve asked in a firm, authoritive voice that sent shivers down Percy's spine. He nodded, not trusting his voice not come out as a whimper.

  
Steve spent a few seconds searching his face, but then nodded and smoothed a thumb over his cheek, then turned back to dry up the last few plates. Percy stared at him flushed for a seconds, but swiftly went back to scrubbing the last plate in the sink and handed it to Steve.

  
"We are done" Steve smiled down at Percy as he dried his hands, only then noticing that Percy's hands were dry all along. He lifted an eyebrow in question, taking Percy's calloused hands in his own, rubbing his knuckles.

  
"Your hands didn't get wet" Steve stated when Percy didn't speak.

  
"I can control when I want to and don't want to get wet. Quite handy" he shrugged as he fought not get a panic attack, biting his lower lip. Steve hummed and let go of his hands slowly.

  
They joined the others at the table at their previous seats. When they sat down Percy caught Pepper's expectant glare at Tony, and muffled a giggle when Pepper elbowed him.

  
Tony finally cleared his throat "Thank you for the meal kid. It was really great. And thank you for the cleaning too..." Pepper smiled at Percy and patted Tony's hand.

  
"Yes, Percy. It was nice to have a meal together in peace" Bruce smiled from behind his cup of tea.

  
"So...Why blue?" Clint chimed in, Natasha and the others bringing their attention to Percy, curious to hear the reason behind the blue pancakes.

  
"My mother makes blue food for me. She can turn anything into blue and delicious, be it pizza, waffles or cookies. It's kind of an inside joke or secret between the two of us. Well, of course now you know about it too" he scratched the back of his neck shyly and smiled at all of them. They all returned the smile, finding that Percy's cheerful attitude and warm smile was contagious, and made everything around him brighter. They all looked at each other and shared looks, silently they all agreed that they wanted Percy among them and in their life. They fought a lot and disagreed most of the time, but that was something all of them wanted.

  
Natasha, who sat next to Percy, placed a  hand on his.

  
"Percy, I know we didn't give you much time to consider Tony's offer, but we really want you to stay with us. This "she gestured at the team around the table with Pepper "is all thanks to you. The truth is...we work fine as a team, but as individuals we never get along. This is the first time we ate breakfast together, or even came across each other in the morning. Your warmth is something we would love to experience every day" she smiled and squeezed his hand.

  
Percy sniffed, tears prickling his eyes "You mean it? All of you?" he looked around in disbelief.

  
"Of course we do" Natasha chuckled and wrapped Percy in her arms, petting his hair gently.

  
"W-Well...If it wouldn't be bothersome for Tony-" Tony held up his hand to stop Percy midsentence "I've already told you It wouldn't. I've arranged a room for you already, haven't I?" he smirked from his spot, quite satisfied with himself.

  
"Yeah. You have. It's quite lovely" Percy smiled wetly and sniffed. He bit his lower lip as he thought more about it "I will have to arrange a few things though. My mail should be transferred here and my address changed" he looked up and found them all smiling at him "What?" he asked confused.

  
Clint ruffled his hair "Nothing kid. You are just adorable" he smirked.

  
"No, I'm not. I'm an adult!" he huffed.

  
"Yeah, right" Tony laughed.

  
"I'm 19 years old! I'm an adult" Percy wriggled out of Natasha's arms and stood up glaring at them "I've walked the surface of hell so don't tell me I'm a kid" he huffed again and crossed his arms, looking more childish than treathening.

  
"What do you mean?" Steve stood up and put a hand on his shoulder with a concerned expression.

  
"I...uh..." he faltered "I'll tell you. One day. I promise" Percy turned away.

  
"Alright" Steve withdrew his hand and shared a worried look with the others.

  
"Percy. When did you want to visit Dr. Davis in the hospital?" Pepper asked gently to change the subject.

  
"Oh. Right. I almost forgot" Percy thought about it for a moment "Maybe in the afternoon. It's still early and I have to make the arrangements if I want to move here. Now that I think about it, can somebody help me move my stuff here?" Percy turned back to them.

  
"I can help you" Steve offered.

  
"I can send someone with a truck to pick it up" Tony shrugged.

  
Percy shook his head smiling "It's a rented apartment so there's really not much to pick up. It would all fit in a car"

  
"Then we will use one of Tony's cars. Is that all right?" Steve asked turning to Tony.

  
"Sure. But bring it back in one piece" Tony smirked, making Percy roll his eyes.

  
Percy hummed "You know, it would be nice if someone showed me around. This place is huge and I'm not really good at directions. Well, except if we were sailing on a boat. I could tell you the exact coordinates on any sea"

  
"Is that a special ability of yours?" Bruce asked curiously from behind his cup of tea.

  
Percy nodded "That's something only I can do. A son of Poseidon thing. It was handy during the big war" he said grimly.

  
"What war?" Tony stiffened.

  
"It's a long story, and it's over now. But I can tell you everything from where I left off last time. Believe it or not, I had to face scarier things than the war god" he frowned "Not now though. So...anyone care to show me around?" he asked shyly.

  
"We have to leave with Nat. Fury asked us to meet him" Clint sighed and frowned.

  
"Who's Fury?" Percy tilted his head.

  
Natasha sighed and stood up from her chair "He's our boss. We will explain everything to you later. I promise" she pecked Percy's cheek and left with Clint.

  
"I have some work to do as well in the lab" Bruce smiled apologetically and left with his tea in hand.

  
"Unfortunatelly, we have to leave as well. We have a meeting to attend to abroad" Pepper said as she pulled up Tony with her, glaring at him.

  
"Again with the meetings..." Tony grumbled but got up nonetheless, following Pepper out "I'm sorry we have to leave you but it's important. If you need anything or have any questions, ask Jarvis or tell him to contact me. See you later kid. We will probably be back by tomorrow morning" Tony and everybody looked genuinely apologetic so Percy wasn't really disapponited.

  
"It's fine. Steve's still here" Percy smiled reassuringly and wawed as they left.

  
"So" Percy turned to look at Steve "It's only you and me left" he smiled.

  
"I'll have to do the guiding today it seems" Steve smiled down at him "Come on. I'll show you everything and tell you what you need to know" they walked together to the elevator, Steve letting Percy get in first, like the gentleman he was.

  
Steve explained what was on the different floors, starting from the first one and talked about security and emergency protocols.

The lower section of the tower functioned as Stark Industries headquarters as well with hundreds of employees working in the building. The upper section of the tower was the Avengers headquarters. The upper section had multiple laboratories, gyms and quite a lot of living area for the team and possible guests. Everything was modern and neatly designed, equipped with the latest Stark technology. Percy admired the building and the care it was planned out with. He wished Annabeth could see it too. Despite her giving him the cold shoulder he still cared for her deeply and hoped to be on speaking terms with her again.

  
They encountered Bruce at one of the private laboratories as they wandered around the tower and watched him work for a while before they continued.

  
The gym and shooting practice section was under the living area and laboratories. Steve showed him all the different kinds of machines and workout equipments, and the shooting range Clint and Natasha used, but he confessed he didn't really use them. He liked to run outside and occasionally punch bags when he felt the need to burn some steam or frustration after missions. They had sparring sessions with Natasha and Clint quite often but other than that he really didn't use the gym much. They stopped in front of the mats that held their sparring sessions, Percy looking around impressed.

  
Percy hummed "It's quite the luxury, I have to say. At Camp we roll around in dirt and mud" Steve chuckled "Well, Tony likes to overdo things. Maybe my team could use some of your Greek methods" he smiled.

  
"I'm not sure that it would be as beneficial" Percy said as he looked around at the warious weapons laid out on the tables "We are old fashioned. Our wars are fought with swords, spears and arrows most of the time, combined with magic. Greek methods might not be as functional on your fields"

  
"Clint does use bow and arrows, and they are quite useful" Steve pointed out.

  
"Yeah, welll...I really suck with them. Once a bow saved my life, but It probably wasn't my doing at all, and I can't say I could do it ever again" Percy winced "My strength is in my sword" he uncapped Riptide.

  
"I saw" Steve remembered how Percy fought the dracenae. It was mesmerizing and really attractive in his opinion. Something he never thought he would find appealing.

  
"My sword wouldn't do much against mortals though. Especially in bullet rain" Percy said as he pocketed Riptide in its ballpoint pen form.

  
"Tony could propably figure something out for you" Steve offered.

  
"I don't think I could bring myself to hurt mortals by will. Even if they were criminals and killers. All my life I had to fight gods and monsters to survive, and now that it's finally over, I just want to forget it. I never wanted to be a soldier, nor a hero. I didn't have the choice at the end, but I did my part and I'm just happy It's finally behind me" Percy's exspression looked haunted and distant, so Steve didn't push the subject further. He knew how war can change someone and how it can haunt people even if It's peaceful times. An idea popped into his mind though. He was curious to see what Percy was capable of hand to hand, and it was a good way to change the subject. Steve stepped onto the mats and stood in the middle, lifting an eyebrow in a challenging way.

  
"I'm rusty. I don't think that's a good idea Steve" Percy sighed shaking his head, but he was already moving to the opposite end of the mats "Well? Come at me big guy" he spread his arms.

  
Steve didn't hold back, not much really. He was sure Percy could stand his ground and even though he had no plan on hurting him, he didn't pull his punches, like when he was sparring with Clint or Natasha. It was useless though, as Percy dodged every attempt at even touching him, jumping and moving over Steve like it was some kind of dance or acrobatic act, occasionly getting a good hit on Steve. He didn't try to move closer to Steve either, always staying at an arm's length, encouraging Steve to go on, and only striked when he got too close. His light body made it possible for him to move around Steve effortlessly. Steve made sure not to let Percy close on him either and always kept his defense on track. After some time of dancing around eachother though, Steve started to get tired of it and thought that Percy was just playing with him. That was his mistake. When Percy saw that Steve let his guard down for a few seconds, he made his move. Before Steve could register what was happening, Percy grabbed one of his wrists with surprising strength and in a matter of seconds he turned his arm backwards, moving around him, kicking the back of his knees, and had Steve pinned to the mats.

Steve went down with a groan and found that he couldn't move. Percy kneeled on Steve's back to steady him, and leaned closer to his head "Always remember Steve, that Greeks play dirty" he whispered in Steve's ear and let him go completely. Steve found it oddly exciting that Percy could hold him down so easily, and held back a groan when Percy breathed on his ear.

"Anyway, it's a really nice place" Percy smiled as he pulled Steve up.

  
"Sorry about that. I knew I couldn't win against you hand to hand, only if I didn't let you close enough" he shrugged "It was amusing to see you try though" he smiled with a playful glint in his eyes, making Steve blush a light shade of red.

  
Steve rubbed the wrist Percy had grabbed and nodded flustered "Your fighting style is...ah... interesting" he said awkwardly. He could still feel Percy's hand on him and the slight throbbing on the areas of his body where Percy got some succesful hits on him. Usually when he was on missions or having sparring sessions he didn't feel it if he got hit because of his advanced healing, but his wrist now felt sore and he felt some bruises forming. He hadn't felt like that since he got injected with the serum and became a super soldier, and the thrill of it made his heart beat faster. He decided he would ask Bruce about it later. He was a doctor afterall.

  
"My strength is in my swordplay and I always fight monsters and such, or demigods. I prefer not to let my opponents too close to myself if I can. Some of them tend to be poisonous too. I'm not immortal afterall. It was offered to me once though" he shrugged.

  
"You were offered immortality?" Steve choked on air.

  
"Yeah. But I turned it off to the displeasure of the gods. It's a long story, but it was for the better though" Percy wawed it off casually "I'll tell you when everyone is together in one place. We should get going soon by the way. I have to visit Dr. Davis in the hospital to question him about yesterday" Percy saw that Steve was still rubbing his wrist and furrowed his brows in concern.

  
"Are you okay? Did something happen to your arm?" he took Steve's wrist in his hand and looked closer at the purple mark that was shaped like his hand.

  
"It's fine. It's just a bruise" Steve smiled slightly amused.

  
"You get bruised? I though you had super healing or something like that" Percy asked curiously, eyeing the mark.

  
Steve shrugged "Usually I don't. But somehow you were able to do that. It's rather intetresting. I was going to ask Bruce about it because I'm quite baffled myself. However, there's something about you that..." he paused "I can't really explain it. It makes me want to get closer to you" he studied Percy's face.

  
Percy flushed red to the tip of his ears at his words and let go of his wrist instantly. He stared at him and gaped like a fish.

  
"Y-You what?" Percy stuttered.

  
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to tell you so soon before we could get to know each other more. I know you are still getting used to things and I'm still figuring things out, but I can't help feeling like I have to be close to you and never let anything harm you" he smiled sheepishly at Percy, who was still staring at him mouth agape. Steve pressed Percy's chin up and smoothed a thumb over his cheek. Steve wanted nothing but to kiss away Percy's ridiculously adorable shocked expression, but instead he planted a kiss on his forehead. Percy felt all the blood from his body rush to his head and became very much aware of how loudly and fast his heart was drumming in his chest. He felt dizzy to think that Steve would be interested in him like that.

  
"Come on. We'll borrow one of Tony's cars and head to your apartment before we go to the hospital" Steve smiled and turned to leave the gym.

  
Percy stood there stunned for a few seconds, but then he gulped down the lump in his throat and followed Steve to the elevators. He fidgeted with his hands all the way to the elevator and bit his lip nervously as they got in. The blush on his face hadn't faded and he felt like he could faint in any second.

  
Steve noticed how quiet he became since they got in the lift and stole a worried glance at Percy. He looked red like a tomato and his hands were restless. Steve sighed and took his hands gently, rubbing his knuckles.

  
"Percy. Is something wrong?" he asked gently.

  
Percy hunched in on himself and shook his head wordlessly in return.

  
"Please, look at me. Did I say something wrong?" Steve asked, worry building up in his chest and weighing his heart down.

  
Percy lifted his head, not quite looking at him "N-No. You didn't say anything. It's just kind of hard to believe that you would find me worthy of your affection" he said quietly. Steve felt his heart clench painfully hearing Percy speak so lowly of himself. He set his lips in a thin line and pushed the emergency stop button on the elevator.

  
Percy stepped back confused and looked up at him "Steve? Why did you do that? Is something wrong?" he asked warily.

  
Steve didn't answer, he only stepped closer and closer to Percy, until he stood with his back against the wall of the elevator. Steve caged him in in with his arms and looked directly into his seagreen eyes. Percy felt dizzy being so close to him as the heat radiating from his body made his legs weak. His intense blue gaze burned into his skull and he felt the urge to run, except for the fact that he was trapped.

  
"Perseus Jackson" Steve's voice rumbled deep in his throat "Don't you ever speak of yourself like that again! You are the bravest, the most loyal and kindhearted, the most selfless person I've ever met. You are simply gorgeous both inside and out and you spread brightness everywhere you go. Everyone makes mistakes. That makes us human. I simply can't stand seeing you being so hard on yourself. You are worthy of so much more than my or anyone's affection and I plan on giving you everything you need no matter what you say" he spoke firmly like it was the most obvious thing in the world. Percy felt so stunned he didn't know how to respond to any of that, but finally he decided it would be the best to be honest about his feelings in return.

  
"I...I like you too. A lot actually" Percy looked away and licked his lips nervously, shifting his weight slightly. His hands were at his sides, itching to touch Steve.

  
"Really?" Steve's tone was gentle once again. He took Percy's face in one hand, turning his head back to him and running a finger over his lower lip. He couldn't get over the fact how beautiful the young demigod was. Those pink kissable lips just screamed for some attention.

  
"May I kiss you, Percy?" Steve looked up from his mouth to meet his eyes.

  
Percy fought back a whimper. Did he want to kiss Steve? Of course he did. But he was still hesistant and anxious. Nevertheless, the way Steve asked for permission made his heart race even more than it already was and felt butterflies flutter in his abdomen. Percy never asked for anything, so this time he thought it would be okay to be selfish just a little bit and get what he wanted "Y-Yes. Please" he stuttered out finally, cursing himself internally for sounding so timid.

  
Steve chuckled softly and bent down to press their lips together. It was gentle and chaste, but just what they needed. Steve found that their lips fit together perfectly, and the young hero's lips tasted just as good as he had imagined them. When he withdrew to look at Percy's face, his breath hiched. Percy's cheeks were just as red as they were before, his dark hair making them pop even more. He was looking up at him from under thick eyelashes, his hands desperatly trying to brace him against the wall.

  
Steve put his hands on his waist to steady him, and Percy wrapped his arms around his neck.

  
"Steve" Percy's tone was so pleading and full of emotion, Steve felt like he would do anything he wanted from him just to please him if he used that voice. He wondered whether that sounded equally as weird if he said it out loud than hearing it in his head.

  
"Yes?" Steve smiled warmly with adoration and pressed his body closer, musing over how their bodies fitted together, like pieces in a puzzle.

  
"Kiss me again" Percy's voice was low and slightly hoarse. Steve didn't need to be told twice. Their second kiss wasn't chaste like the first one. They moved their mouths lazily over the other's, just enjoying the close proximity of the other. Percy moaned into Steve's mouth when he felt his tongue caressing his lips, gently asking for permission to enter. Percy opened his mouth for him without hesitation and felt himself drown in the warm sensations their kiss filled him up with. Steve was addicted already to the taste of Percy, the feeling of his body agains his, the salty ocean scent of Percy and the little sounds he made. It was heated and passionate without argument, but there was no urge in it. Eventually they had to broke apart for air and they smiled sheepishly at each other. Steve cupped his face with one hand, Percy leaning into the touch with a content sigh.

  
"Steve?" Percy giggled softly after some silence.

  
"What is it?" Steve smiled, Percy's laughter music to his ears. He thought he would have to make him laugh more. It suited him even more than smiling.

  
"We are still in the elevator" Percy tried to muffle the sounds with his hand by that point, shaking with laughter.

  
Steve didn't know how long they've been standing there, and had forgotten about it completely that they were standing inside an elevator he had stopped on purpose "Yeah. We better get this thing moving" he unlocked the elevator, pressed the button to the penthause floor for the second time and the lift strarted moving again. Percy got a hold of himself and checked his watch "We've been in here for almost 10 minutes" he looked surprised how much time they spent kissing. Steve scratched the back of his neck sheepishly "I lost track of time. You are very distracting, I must say" he pressed soft kisses on Percy's knuckles as he spoke.

  
"S-Steve. You are impossible" Percy whined, still quite flushed.

  
"Sorry" he laughed softly and let go of Percy.

  
The elevator doors opened to the hall that led to the living areas. They made an agreement to meet back at the elevators in 30 minutes so that Steve could change and Percy could grab what he wanted from his room, and give a call to his landlord about him moving out from the apartment.

  
Percy's heart beat faster just thinking about the kiss, but he felt happy. He didn't know what it meant for the two of them, but it felt good to be close to someone like that. He loved Annabeth without any doubt when they were dating, but he had never felt this way with her. They shared sweet kisses and held hands, cuddled and had their romantic moments, but with Steve it was all really thrilling and at the same time so comforting to be held by someone bigger and firmer than him. Annabeth could kick his ass any day, but she was still soft and all curves, whereas Steve was toned and muscled, very firm but surprisingly gentle. He wondered whether that was what Aphrodite had meant when she told him she would make his lovelife interesting. He shook his head and decided he wouldn't dwell on it too much.

  
He called his landlord and asked for appointments where he would have to make his address changed. He saved everything in the calendar of his phone and grabbed his keys with his backpack before heading to the elevator. He met Steve there and together they took a car from the underground garage, driving through the city to Percy's apartment.

  
It wasn't big, but it was cozy in Steve's opinion. Like Percy had told them, there wasn't much to pack and it all fit in the car nicely. Steve offered to get food at some point around noon and left Percy to do the finishing touches while he got lunch. Percy smiled sadly at the empty apartment, remembering the day he had moved in. He had just started his marine biology courses and his job, and his mother had announced that she was pregnant back then. It was still shocking to think that he was going to get a baby sister. He thought that it would be the best adventure he would go on by far, and even though he couldn't be with his family as much, he would never leave them again. He made this promise to himself after he left camp, taking it very seriously especially after the treatment he got from his friends.

  
Weird sounds from outside brought him back from his nostalgic daze. He snorted and rolled his eyes. There were a lot of weird people living in that building all right. It was quite annoying when he had tried to focus on his notes, but now that he was moving out, he thought it would be rude to leave without even a proper goodbye. He brought outside the last box he filled in with his stuff and set it down in front of the door. He took one last look at the small apartment that resembled his home for the last half a year and locked the door. As he carried the box down the stairs, the sounds became louder and less inhuman. Percy frowned to himself and set the box down next to the main entrance. By now he could hear muffled voices speaking and hissing. He pulled Riptide out of his pocket and with a metallic shriek it grew into its full size.

  
Percy took a deep breath and opened the door, revealing at least 10 dracenae scattered around the building with their weapons in hand, arguing with each other.

"You said you were sure thissss isss the place" one hissed irritated, flicking its tongue.

"I'm telling you this isss the one! I saw him go in there" the other one snapped in return. When they spotted him, they fell silent.

  
"You are not my neighbours" Percy felt anger boiling inside him.

  
The serpent legged creatures rounded him, hisssing and laughing.

  
"We are not, in fact your neighbours. But we can change that" one chuckled in the front.

  
"What do you want from me? Why can't you just leave me alone?" Percy demanded.

  
"We can't do that, hero. We have orders. Besides, we will find great pleasure in killing you" they all bared their teeth and raised their weapons. Percy didn't have much time to think about what he should do, but luckily he had prepared for things like that to happen.

  
_"How can someone be prepared for things like that?"_ you might ask.

  
Well, Percy was really proud of himself for the idea at the time, he thought if it came to fighting monsters, especially if they found his apartment, it would give him some advantage to have acess to a big amount of water easily. So he made sure that when he was looking for apartments close to the Aquarium, there would be at least one or two hydrants on the street close to the building. It might sound ridiculous, but you would be surprised what can save a demigod's life sometimes. Of course it would only work outside, but it was some kind of advantage nevertheless. He just had to make sure not to use up too much energy or overdo it, like when he made a mountain explode. He winced just thinking about it.

  
So when the dracenae started closing in on him, he concentrated on the water flowing through the pipes under the ground, and made the closest hydrant on the opposite end of the street explode, blasting half of the monsters with the tower of water. The remaining serpents were so shocked for a few seconds, Percy slashed three of them to ash effortlessly. The last three of them regained their composure and jumped at him as fast as they could. He dodged their attacks and kept them at bay until he could take them down. By the time the last dracenae vaporized, he was exhausted and breathing hard, his focus becoming fuzzy. He didn't notice a monster emerging from the building behind him that had been hiding there during the whole fight, originally sent in to look for Percy's apartment.

  
Percy was grabbed from behind and thrown with huge force against the side of the building, the breath knocked out of him and his bones cracking with the contact. He forced his eyes open, his vision already blurry and dancing with black spots. He lifted his throbbing head with a groan, Riptide still in his hand by some miracle. He sat up, his ribs making cracking noises as he shifted his body, his breath coming out ragged and heavy. He gritted his teeth as a dark green figure came in his vision.

  
"Any last wordssss, Defender of Olympusss?" the figure spoke and chuckled in a low, raspy voice.

  
Perfy felt his anger increase in him at the title, and the pain in his chest subsidise, his vision becoming red and focused on the monster in front of him. He gripped his sword tightly and with his last boost of anger and energy he thrust Riptide into the creature.

  
The dracenae dissolved into a pile of ash with a startled cry and Riptide scattered to the ground. Percy felt like he would faint from the pain when he heard someone running in the direction of him.

  
"Percy!" Steve knelt down in front of him and cupped his face in his hands "What happened to you?" he spoke in a panicked voice. He saw the hydrant torned up in pieces and water leaking from the pipes, water splashes and mud everywhere. Percy was muddy and covered in bruises, his eyes clouded, his face twisted in pain and confusion.

  
Percy had a hard time collecting his thoughts, the metallic taste in his mouth making him nauseaus "M-My bag...ambrosia...nectar...the car" he managed to get out, wheezing and grunting as pain shot through him every time he took a breath. He felt like an elephant was sitting on his chest, squeezing it more and more with every labored breath he took.

  
Steve nodded franatically and ran off to the car. He remembered Percy telling them about the food and drink of the gods and their healing abilities. He pried the boot open and rummed through Percy's backpack until he found a plastic bag and a stainless steel drink container. He rushed back to Percy's side and gave him small sips of the nectar and small crumbs of the ambrosia. Steve held his breath as he waited for the effects to kick in. He let out a sigh of relief when Percy's pained expression seemed to lessen and his chest rose more easily. Percy was unconscious by then from the pain and exhaustion of using his powers.

Steve carried him to the car and put him in the passenger seat. He called Bruce and told him Percy was hurt and he needed medical attention at once. He was afraid he might be bleeding internally. He drove to the Tower as fast as he could without causing any car accident. He stole panicked glances at the young demigod passed out next to him from time to time, worried that he would disappear somehow.

  
"It's going to be fine. I promise" Steve took a shaky breath and brought his attention back on the road, his hands gripping the wheel thightly "It's going to be fine" he muttered to himself as he sped through New York.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So...this took long to write. I had to delete and edit a lot of things because I hated them or just didn't fit. I'm still not sure it's the best version, and I was anxious to upload it because of specific parts. This fic is kind of like my guilty pleasure and I know I'm not really good at writing. I don't know...but still I didn't want to make the few people who have been waiting for and update wait too long. It's almost the end of the school year and the past few weeks had been really crazy for me. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it regardless and I hope to do better in the upcoming chapters.  
> Comments and kudos are greatly appreciated .w./  
> Let me know what you thought of it .w.


	9. Long time no see

The first thing Percy heard when he was beginning to regain consciousness, was distant sounding voices arguing. He groaned and opened his eyes, blinking away the black dots that danced in his vision. When he could finally see properly, he saw that he was lying in a bed in a white room half naked, a light blanket covering his body from waist down. His chest was bounded up and his cuts were cleaned. The soft murmurs came from a door by the end of the room, opened just a crack. He tried to sit up, but immediately unbearable amount of pain shot through his chest and he fell down against the matress with a groan, wheezing as he struggled to catch his breath. It had been a long time since he got a decent beating from monsters, so the feeling was even worse, his muscles sore and tingling with unpleasant pain.

  
He had to close his eyes and catch his breath slowly, wheezing softly and trying to control his breathing, but he could hear the murmurs dying and footateps emerging from the direction of the door, surrounding him carefully. The mattress dipped next to him and he felt a pair of warm hands on his forehead, barely touching.

  
"Percy? Are you awake?" It was Steve. Suddenly it came all back to Percy what had happened at his old apartment. He pried his eyes open, only to see a worried looking Bruce and Steve hovering above him, and a grim looking Clint and Natasha standing by his bed with their arms crossed.

  
He cleared his throath "Yeah. I am" he smiled weakly.

  
"You gave us quite the scare Percy. When Bruce called us, we walked out on Fury and got here as soon as we could" Clint frowned.

  
"How are you feeling?" Bruce lit a torch his eyes and checked his pulse on his wrist.

  
"Like a giant chewed on me and spit me out. Other than that, I'm fine" he gritted his teeth as he tried to scoot a bit further up the bed, succeeding with the help of Steve.

  
"Percy. What happened? When I got back everything was all muddy and you were-" Steve choked on the last words and cupped Percy's face in one hand.

  
"A group of dracenae ambushed me. I made the pipes explode to defend some of them off, but one sneaked up on me. No pun intended. I'm way out of this game" Percy sighed and turned to look questioningly at Bruce "How am I doing doc?"

  
"Well, you are certainly doing better than an average human would. A normal person would have died, but you survived with considerably minor injuries. You had several broken ribs and your lungs were damaged horribly. I treated your cuts and bruises but some of them had already healed and your ribcage is almost back in perfect contact again. Your healing is incredible" Bruce handed to him a glass of water, which Percy accepted gratefully with a small smile.

  
"How long have I been out?"

  
"Around seven hours" Bruce took the empty glass from him and set it on the bedside table nearby.

  
"The nectar and ambrosia did the trick as always. And thank the gods I didn't burn to ashes. I will need a few more hours before I can get up nevertheless. The monsters mentioned a boss that gave them orders. That is not good. Organized monsters are always bad news" Percy frowned.

  
"A boss? So they do have some kind of a plan afterall. We can't let them get away with this" Natasha gripped her arms with a scrowl.

  
Percy nodded grimly "I have to send an Iris Message to someone who might be able to help us. Not now though. I need a few hours to heal completely" he laid back.

  
"Is that a good idea? Your injuries were serious" Steve bit his lower lip, brows furrowed in worry.

  
"Yeah...I'm sorry you had to see that. I told you I'm a monster magnet. These bastards just can't seem to leave me alone. It could have been worse though. At least I didn't blow up the whole city block" Percy winced.

  
"Still. Are you sure you shouldn't rest more? I'm not familiar with the healing abilities of a demigod but you are partly mortal and your body needs time" Bruce put a hand on his shoulder.

  
"I've had worse" Percy wawed it off "Besides. The situation requires immediate action"

  
"Fine. But you are not going anywhere without us" Clint stated firmly.

  
"If you insist" Percy sighed "Now. Would it be okay if I went to sleep for a bit now?" he asked wearily.

  
"Of course. We'll get out of your hair" Steve kissed his forehead and left Percy alone in the room, the others following him. He let out a heavy sigh, closing his eyes and trying to rest his body against the soft matress. It wasn't long before he drifted back to unconsciousness, dark pictures flashing before his eyes from the time he spent in Tartarus.

 

 

  
***

 

 

  
Steve felt utterly horrible, glancing at the door of the room Percy slept in, every five minutes, cursing himself for leaving him alone in the first place. They had phoned Tony and Pepper and assured them that Percy was safe in bed and he was close to full recovery, except the cuts that healed to clean wounds on his skin next to the ones that were already there.

  
It felt like he had been sitting there for an eternity when the door to Percy's opened, and a now healthy looking young man walked out, no sign of anything that had happened to him, as he had a shirt on that covered his upper body. Still it made Steve's lower lip quiver to see him unharmed again.

  
Steve stood from his chair and wrapped the young demigod in a bear hug, drawing giggles from him as he kissed his head and every inch of skin on his face he could reach, his cheeks, temple, his forehead and his eyelids.

  
"S-Steve" Percy laughed soflty "I'm fine" he pushed back a sheepishly smiling Steve, still not letting completely go. He blinked a few times in surprise as he was suddenly dragged away and sandwitched between Natasha and Clint again, but it wasn't as awkward as it was before, definitely more comforting.

  
"We are so glad you are okay kid" Clint murmured into his hair, Natasha squeezing him more tightly.

  
"Come on guys. I'm not THAT fragile" Percy rolled his eyes, wriggling himself free from their bodies. Percy wondered how could these grown heroes be such puppies and whether Natasha and Clint would give him the same sandwich hug treatment all the time.

  
"So, I sent an IM to one of my old friends from Camp Half-Blood, and he is supposed to pay us a visit tomorrow at 4 pm. Tony and Pepper will be back by then right?" he turned to look at Steve and Bruce.

  
"Yes. They told us they would be back tomorrow in the morning" Beuce nodded.

  
"Well, at least I know that I don't need to visit Dr. Davis anymore. He probably doesn't know more than we already do" Percy tapped his chin thoughtfully.

  
"It would be the best if you took it easy for the rest of the day. Advanced healing or not. I presume the usage of your powers took a lot of your energy too" Bruce squeezed his shoulder with a small concerned smile.

  
"We skipped lunch as well because of the attack. Are you hungry?" Steve asked, Percy's stomach making grumbling noises in answer.

  
"I guess that's a yes" Clint chuckled fondly.

  
"Tell you what. Why don't we order some pizza and settle down for a movie in the common area to relax?" Natasha smiled.

  
"Nat. What about Fury? We kind of walked out on him without a word" Clint nudged her side.

  
"He didn't have a mission for us Clint. Just boring briefing sessions" Natasha huffed annoyed.

  
"Who's Fury? Will you finally tell me?" Percy crossed his arms frowning.

  
"Well, we work for an organisation called SHIELD, and the director is currently Fury, our boss. I'm pretty sure he already knows about your presence here. He knows everything" Natasha sighed with an annoyed look "I bet he will pay us a visit tomorrow and question us about the way we left the briefing, and then about you" she took his arm gently and moved to guide him out of the medical bay, down the hall to the elevators, Clint, Bruce and Steve following closely behind. Percy let himself be led into the elevator, all the way up to the penthause floor and on the couch in the common area.

  
"Why would he care who I am?" Percy snuggled up next to Steve on the couch while Clint ordered lunch for all of them.

  
"He is a curious man. It's his job to know about everything, especially about the things he could benefit from" Natasha paused "We are loyal to our employer and our country, don't get me wrong, but we wouldn't want Fury sniffing around you and getting you into SHIELD business" she smiled softly at the young demigod.

  
"I appreciate that" Percy returned her smile.

  
Clint returned with the promised pizza and they settled down in the common area to watch movies mostly Percy chose.

Appearantly, Finding Nemo was his favourite movie so they watched that first. It felt nice for Percy to just sit back and relax in the proximity of his new...friends? That didn't feel right to say. They were family already in his mind. After the movie ended Percy found out with bewilderment that none of them had seen Jurassic World yet, so that was next. Percy explained to Steve with enthusiasm what were the history of the previous movies and how it was connected with the new movie. Steve didn't understand everything, but he listened to the young hero's explanation with adoration. He looked even younger when he got all excited and bubbly, talking about the raptors and all the different kinds of dinosaurs, just like the kid named Gray in the movie. Percy scoffed halfheartedly when Steve compared him to the kid and smacked him lightly on the arm. Steve only chuckled in amusement and hugged him closer to his side. They watched the movie in comfortable silence, munching on their pizza, and by the time the movie ended and the credits started rolling, Percy was already half asleep, trying really hard to keep his eyes open. He saw Natasha and Clint turn off the TV and clean up, Bruce announcing that he retires for the night. Percy untangled himself from Steve and muffled a long yawn with his hand, blinking lazily.

  
"Come on Perce. I will help you to your room before you fall asleep standing here" Steve laughed softly and put his hand around his waist, guiding him gently to the elevator. He mumbled a soft 'Goodnight' to the spies before they disappeared behind the doors of the elevator, Percy leaning against Steve for support.

  
Steve led Percy to his room, waiting patiently for him to find his key card and get the door open.

  
"Steve?" Percy bit his lip, looking up at the man anxiously.

  
"What's wrong?" Steve reached out to cardle his face gently in his hand.

  
"I'm sorry for making you worried about me. Whatever this is between us, I don't want you to regret it" he finished looking down gultily. Steve lifted his chin with his hand and smiled warmly at the demigod.

  
"I was worried, yes. And I will never stop worrying about you, because I care about you, Percy. I will never regret those feelings as long as I live" he emphasized this with a tender kiss on his forehead, making Percy's eyelids flutter in anticipation.

  
Percy smiled wetly, nodding in understanding and wrapped his arms around Steve, burying his face into his torso.

  
"You are really comfy" he mumbled into his shirt, yawning once again and humming contently.

  
"Come on. I'll tuck you in before you really fall asleep against me in the middle of the hall" Steve laughed and ushered Percy inside his suite, closing the door behind them. He awkwardly stood, turned in the opposite direction from Percy as he struggled out of his clothes and pulled on something to sleep in. Once he was ready, he climbed on the bed and settled against the pillows while Steve pulled the blanket over his body. Percy seemed to have fallen asleep instantly, so Steve left the suite as quietly as possible and retired as well for the night.

 

 

  
***

 

 

  
The next morning Percy woke with a groan to the annoying sound of his alarm going off, which was this time in the pocket of his shorts tossed on the ground carelessly next to his bed, so he had to scramble to get it.

He fell off the bed with a grunt and managed to fish out the obnoxious thing, ending the alarm with a relieved sigh, laying sprawled across the floor.

  
"Good morning Master Jackson" the AI greeted him with a hint of amusement in his voice. Percy flushed a light shade of pink, realising he must have looked like a total idiot with the little stunt he just pulled off. He had to remind himself that Jarvis was not a real person, though it didn't help him feel any less ridiculous.

  
"Morning Jarvis" Percy cleared his throat "Hey Jarvis. How are things in the tower?" he asked awkwardly, standing up to stretch his limbs.

  
"Master Stark and Miss Potts have returned during the night and are still sleeping with the rest of the team, except Captain Rogers, who had left for his morning run not long ago. Master Thor hasn't returned yet" Jarvis informed him while Percy got ready to take a shower.

  
"Thanks Jarvis. If anyone wakes up, tell them I'm making breakfast again" Percy smiled and got rid of his clothes. He showered and brushed his teeth, putting on fresh clothes then leaving the suite in the direction of the elevators, riding up to the common area and the kitchen.

  
He set up the coffee machine and brewed some hot water for tea, then mixed up some pancake batter with food colouring, this time cooking some scrambled eggs and bacon as well. Sometime during the start of the cooking Clint and Natasha arrived like the day before and set up the table automatically for everyone. A bit later a very tired looking Tony and Pepper shuffled in the kitchen, smiling gratefully at Percy for the fresh coffe, and Bruce who also sent a grateful smile at Percy for the hot water and made his tea. Steve was delighted to see everyone together around the table once again, domestic Percy making his heart flutter in his chest. He sat down next to Percy, smiling brightly at him.

  
"Everything smells nice" Steve commented while Clint and Natasha made ridiculous sounds with their food in mouth.

  
"Percy, you are a god, you know that?" Clint deadpanned. Percy only shook his head amused and laughed how Natasha and Tony seemed to agree as well for some reason.

  
"It's just breakfast" he smiled.

  
"But a really nice one" Steve nudged his side playfully, making Percy blush and duck his head shyly. They ate in comfortable silence for a while, finishing up their breakfast. Steve helped Percy with the dishes at the sink, 'accidently' touching him whenever he could.

  
"So...I'm glad you are alright" Tony said awkwardly, fidgeting with his hands when Steve and Percy settled back down in their seats at the table.

  
"Thanks Tony. I really am fine. And I'm sorry I couldn't ask you first about my friend's visit, in case you had meetings today" Percy rubbed the back of his neck nervously.

  
"Don't worry about it Percy. I cleared up his schedule from 4 pm to the rest of the day just in case" Pepper smiled reassuringly, making him relax again.

  
"This friend of yours, how could he help us with this?" Bruce asked curiously.

  
"He knows more of the Underworld than anyone I know. Well, except maybe Hades, but I wouldn't go as far as seek help from him" Percy frowned.

  
"Is he trustworthy?" Tony looked more grim than the others.

  
"He...he is a good kid. We had our differences in the beggining, but he risked his life for our safety numerous times. I trust him" Percy nodded.

  
"Well, I hope you are right" Tony sighed and stood from the table, shuffling through the kitchen "I will be in my workshop" he mumbled as he left.

  
"He was worried about you" Pepper smiled sadly "He doesn't know how to communicate his feelings well. He means good" she looked after him.

  
"I'll talk to him" Percy tried for a small smile, getting up from the table and excusing himself from the others, getting into an elevator and asking Jarvis to take him to Tony.

  
Tony's workshop was below the gym in a tucked away corner, behind several doors and security Jarvis led him through. Percy could hear loud music coming from behind the last door that really hurt his ears when the door finally opened. Jarvis, bless him, immediately turned down the sound.

  
"Tony...?" Percy called out uncertainly, manouvering through scrap pieces of metal and tools scattered on the ground all over the place, Ironman suits lined up at the far end of the room, blueprints pinned on the walls and spread on every available flat surface, empty coffe cups all over the desks.

  
"Ow!" Percy winced as Tony peeked his head from under a table, rubbing his head with a frown.

  
"S-Sorry. I didn't mean to startle you"

  
"Don't worry about it" Tony gave a pained smile.

  
"So...this is where you tweak your suits?" Percy looked around the place.

  
"Yeah...It's a bit messy" Percy snorted.

  
"A bit?" he smirked.

  
"All right, a lot. It's a mess" the man rolled his eyes walking around Percy to collect empty cups.

  
"Look. I know why you are here...I'm fine. I was just worried like the rest of the team" Tony sighed, throwing the cups in a trash bin and flopping down his chair tiredly.

Percy could see that he had bags under his eyes and judging by the state of the room and the empty coffee cups he probably didn't get much sleep in general. Not a healthy amount at least.

  
"Well, I like to tell people I'm fine as well" Tony looked up from his lap with confusion.

  
"In reality, I know I have PTSD" Percy shrugged "I've been through a lot and I saw a lot, things that really get to a person. I understand that" he smiled and walked to Tony's chair, taking his hand in a hopefully reassuring gesture, giving it a light squeez.

  
"I've heard what you had done. You flew right through the portal, didn't you?" Tony nodded.

  
"You dream about it, don't you?" Tony's head instantly shot up in surprise, but Percy only smiled knowingly.

  
"How did you know?" Tony asked breathlessly, gripping Percy's hand.

  
"Because I have nightmares too. I haven't told you guys about everything that happened to me before I moved back to New York, but I dream a lot about those things. Dark stuff" he let it sink in, waiting patiently for Tony.

  
"How do you cope with it?" the man asked finally in a shaky voice.

  
Percy hummed, thinking about the question "Well, I had my friends for a while, and the distraction at camp. When I realised I had to get away from there, I had the distraction of finding a home and a job, getting into the university. I talk about my dreams with my mother and step father. My work and my studies do a great job at distracting me from any of that dark stuff. I accept that it's a part of me as well, and it's not as bad anymore as it used to be. But sharing it with the people you care for really helps" Percy smiled gently, patting Tony's hand.

  
"I'm afraid of going to sleep" Tony said quietly after a while, barely a whisper in the room "Every time I close my eyes, I see the dark void of space, the explosion and the hole that separates our worlds closing in and I'm just falling. And it closes before I could reach it and I just keep falling until I wake up covered in sweat, sometimes even screaming. I don't know what to tell Pepper. I can see she is worried and I just bury my problems under work and I-" Tony choked on his words, sobbing quietly as Percy pulled him to his feet and wrapped his arms around him, letting the man cling to him as he cried quietly. Percy waited patiently for him to cry, rubbing soothing circles into his back, holding his shaking form. Finally the sobs stopped and Tony pulled back, wiping the tears from his face with a sigh.

  
"Better?" Percy smiled.

  
"Yeah...thank you" Tony smiled back.

  
"I think you should tell Pepper how you feel. Share it with as many people as you are comfortable with. You are not alone Tony, don't forget that. I'm not gonna tell you that it will get better instantly, but it will start to be better. And don't be afraid of sleep. You are here, Tony, because you beat the aliens and you got through the portal just in time" Percy sqeezed his hand again.

  
"You are right kid" Tony sniffed "I was worried sick about you yesterday. I felt so shitty about leaving you already, and then you got attacked and I couldn't do anything about it" he looked down again with a guilty expression.

  
"Stuff happens. Especially with me. I'm sorry for worrying you, but I'm still here" Percy smiled.

  
Tony chuckled "That you are" he wrapped Percy in a hug, smiling to himself. He loved the kid already. When they pulled away he muffled a yawn.

  
"I feel so exhausted all of a sudden" he yawned again, making Percy chuckle.

  
"I guess expressing overwhelming emotions does take its toll. I think you should get some sleep and cut back on coffe from now on" Percy smiled softly, stepping back.

  
"Maybe I should actually listen this time. Okay. But I will be in the common area by the time your friend arrives. Deal?" Tony smiled tiredly.

  
"Deal" Percy nodded and followed Tony out of his workshop to the elevators. Tony wrapped him in a one last hug before Percy got out at the penthouse floor and Tony continued to his and Pepper's suite. When Percy entered the livingroom evryone was sitting around the coffe table except Pepper.

  
"How is Tony?" Bruce asked with his brows furrowed in concern.

  
"He is fine. He left to take a nap before the meeting" Percy explained as he sat down between Steve and Natasha.

  
"Master Barton and Miss Romanov. Mr Fury wishes to talk with you. He is on the ground floor of the tower, currently waiting for a lift" Jarvis startled everyone in the room.

  
"Damn. I didn't think he would actually come here" Clint hissed "What do we do now?" he glanced at Natasha and Steve.

  
"I guess we can't avoid him meeting Percy any longer" she sighed, looking apologetically at the young hero sitting next to her "I'm sorry Percy. You can choose to explain the basic things you told us about demigods or choose to keep it between us, but you have to meet him" she frowned, taking his hand.

  
"It's okay. I'm kind of curious about him" he patted her hand.

  
"I suspect he will offer you things to take you with him" Steve said stiffly with a bit of panic in his voice.

  
"I don't plan on going anywhere" Percy pecked his cheek, Steve flushing red in return with a sheepish smile.

  
"Barton! Romanov!" they heard Fury calling out from the hall and cringed mentally.

  
"We are here!" Clint shouted, Natasha glaring at him for being too loud. Clint shrugged, leaning back on the couch comfortably. As Fury stomped in and laid his eye on them, he didn't seem the least surprised to see Percy sitting with them. Percy gulped, taking in the man before him. Tall man in a long black coat and one eye hidden behind a black eyepatch. He was intimidating without even trying.

  
"We are sorry for leaving yesterday so suddenly, but it was an emergency" Fury narrowed his eye at Clint and shifted his gaze to Natasha, then Percy.

  
"This is Percy Jackson" Natasha gestured, Fury gaving a small nod, then gave the spies an unimpressed look "What was more important than the meeting you were supposed to attend to?" he crossed his arms.

  
"W-Well...Percy got badly injured and we wanted to be here for him" Clint explained.

  
"He doesn't seem to be seriously injured. In fact, he looks completely fine to me" Fury's frown deepened.

  
"That's..." Clint trailed off, giving the rest of the team a panicked sideglance.

  
Percy stood with a sigh "There's no need for that. Sir, if you want to blame somebody, that should be me. I was careless and it almost cost me my life. Clint and Nat just wanted to make sure I was okay" he paused "I'm not entirely human. That's why I'm not wounded anymore" again, Fury didn't seem fazed by that the least.

  
"I've been keeping an eye on you for a while now" Fury looked pointedly at Percy.

  
"What?" Percy exclaimed, eyes going wide and body stiffening in alarm.

  
"Ever since the 'terrorist attacks' on Manhattan, where my agents saw you and your friends cause mass destruction, and disappear completely right after, leaving thousands of unconscious people behind on the streets, I've been looking for you. Give me one good reason not to arrest you right here and now for domestic terrorism" he said with a stern look. Percy bit his lip, guilt washing through him at the mention of the war against Kronos.

  
"I...I could sit here and list you dozens of excuses for the things I've done. I'm not a terrorist, nor my friends. I know when we left Manhattan it wasn't us that needed to pick up the pieces and repair the things we have destroyed, but we weren't feeling entirely victorious either. We had lost friends...and family...and you have every right to be upset about it but...I sincerely apologise for our actions. We were kids. Desperate and unexperienced with overwhelming responsibilities. I'm not making excuses, just asking you to take that into consideration. If you want to arrest me, go ahead. I will take responsibility for everything I had done, but if you are looking for my friends, I won't lead you to them" Percy looked fiercly in the man's eye, sea blue eyes a raving storm, a true force to be reckoned with. Steve stared at him, mouth slightly agape in admiration. He stood up and stepped next to him, putting his arm around his shoulders in a protective and supporting manner.

  
"Mr. Fury. Please, hear him out. There's more to this than what meets the eye" Steve didn't speak as Percy's friend. He spoke as someone who could understand the feeling of desperatley trying to protect their loved ones. It was the kid from Brooklyn who wanted nothing more than to fight for his country and people.

  
"Very well. I'm listening" Fury sat down in an armchair opposite the couch, arms crossed, face blank and waiting.

  
So Percy told him what he needed to know. The gods's existence, everything he had told the team about demigods and explained why and how they had to defeat Kronos, including the battle in Manhattan. Fury's expression stood stone cold throughout the story, unable to read. When Percy was done, he sat silent, keeping the room in tense and uncomfortable silence.

  
Finally, he stood with a sigh "I would have to arrest you, never mind what you had just told me" Steve and Natasha's hand came to grab Percy's wrist by instict "However, if my two best agents and Captain America believes there is no need for that, and they take up the responsibility of supervising you, I won't bring you in. Nevertheless, this will not be our last encounter" he shifted his gaze to the spies again "And you agents. We will have a talk about your priorities in the future" Natasha and Clint nodded stiffly.

  
Fury turned to leave, stopping in his tracks one last time "No mistake here, I do realize you had done a great deal to protect Earth and human kind. That's the only reason you are not being arrested" with that he left, leaving dead silence behind him.

  
"I guess that's his way of saying thank you...?" Clint opted to break the silence.

  
"Hardly" Natasha rolled her eyes "But he approves of your stay" she smiled.

  
"Like I need his approval. I could go places he wouldn't even know how to start to look for" Percy rolled his eyes with a frown "But I'm grateful for your support guys. You make me feel accepted and welcomed here" he smiled gratefully at the team. Steve pulled him closer and wrapped an arm around his waist.

  
"It's almost noon. We should get something for lunch" Bruce announced, standing from his seat.

  
"Yeah. I'm getting hungry too" Percy said sheepishly.

  
"We could order some pizza again" Clint offered.

  
"That would be nice" Percy grinned.

  
So they ordered food, Tony and Pepper joining them by the time it arrived. They chatted as they ate and hang out around the common area until it was almost 4pm. Percy found that Tony looked much more relaxed and more rested, and Pepper seemed to be in a lighter mood as well. Percy smiled to himself. He was glad he could help Tony somehow.

  
"You didn't say how he is going to get there though. Should I send someone down to meet him at the entrance?" Tony looked questioningly at Percy.

  
"That won't be necessary. He has quite a unique way of travelling. Though I have to warn you that his entrance might suprise you and trigger some alarms or something. So please don't freak out" Percy rambled.

  
It was a few minutes past four, when they saw a figure moving in the shadows of the corner of the room, forming into a human body. They all went stiff except for Percy, when the figure stepped completely into the room. A dark haired boy with a pale skin in black clothes, a sword hanging by his side.

  
"Hello Percy" the boy stood in front of the team seated on the couch "And other people I don't know" he gave each of them a short calculating glance.

  
"Nico" Percy stood up and moved to stand in front of him "I'm so glad you could come. I'm kind of at loss of information" he rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.

  
"Avengers, Pepper, this is a friend of mine, Nico di Angelo, son of Hades" he gestured at the boy "And Nico, this is Tony Stark, Pepper Potts, Bruce Banner, Clint Barton and Natasha Romanov, and Steve Rogers" he introduced them.

  
"Nice to meet you" Steve moved to offer his hand to Nico, who took it hesitantly and shook his hand briefly before tucking his hands into the pockets of his jacket. Clint gave a short nod, while Natasha narrowed her eyes at him, which didn't make him feel at ease at all. Bruce sent him an apologetic smile, Tony giving an awkward small wawe of his hand and Pepper smiling at him knowingly.

  
Percy wached the scene with amusement, noting how Nico seemed more healthy, his skin more colorful and eyes more full of life, more bright, even though he always had this determination in his gaze, something Percy always had admired about him.

  
"Now that this is done, I have to tell you something first" Nico said, making Percy furrow his brows in confusion.

  
"When I told the others I was coming here, most of our friends wanted to join" Percy frowned.

  
"I find that hard to believe. They didn't seem to care one bit when I left, except for Grover" he looked away with clear disappointment and hurt written all over his face.

  
"Well" Nico paused, thinking of what he wanted to say and how he wanted to say it, choosing his words carefully "At first kids were confused why you left so suddenly, but then life went on, I guess you could say that. Jason keeps going back and forth between the two camps and he didn't even know for a month at least. Annabeth...well..." he faltered "she was the most adamant about coming with me. She wanted to apologise for the way she treated you and she told me she wanted to be your friend like before. Hazel cried and Frank tried to comfort her, also crying, both confused why you left without a word" he shifted his weight slightly, clearly uncomfortable with the topic "Nobody really knew how to get in touch with you and what to say. They thought you were depressed or something"

  
Percy sniffed, rubbing his arm with a hurt expression "Gods I miss them...but I don't want to forgive them so easily. They ignored me for almost a year, Nico"

  
"I can't believe I'm the one who had to tell you all this" Nico huffed halfheartedly.

  
Percy sighed "You are right. I'm sorry you had to. They should have told me personally" he smiled sadly at the younger demigod.

  
Nico sniffed and shrugged "It's fine"

  
"You look better, by the way. Healthier. I'm guessing Will keeps you well fed" Percy smirked, making Nico flush red.

  
"Shut up Jackson" Nico growled, huffing annoyed as Percy laughed softly and ruffled his hair playfully. Tony and the others watched the encounter silently, not sure what to think of any of that, getting slightly angry at the mention of how Percy's friends abandoned him.

  
"Just tell me why you had to drag me all the way here" Nico crossed his arms impatiently.

  
Percy told him about the attack in the Aquarium, the attempted kidnapping of his boss, the ambush outside his old apartment.

  
"That does sound unusual. Monsters are furious after we kill them but they never go this far to take revenge. The last time they were this orginased it was during either of the big wars" Nico frowned, Percy's expression just as grim.

  
"Do you think one of the giants or someone in Tartarus is trying to get back at me?"

  
"I will have to look into it more. I will also ask my father and talk to Chiron about it if it's okay with you"

  
"Thank you Nico. I know we started off on shaky grounds, but you are a true friend" Percy squeezed his shoulders.

  
"I don't know about that. I wanted to do pretty terrible things to you for a long time" Nico mumbled, looking down at his feet with a guilty expression.

  
"Hey. You were really young and you lost your sister. You were confused and angry. Despite all that, you always did what you thought were right, and things nobody would have been capable of other than you" Nico nodded with a small smile.

  
"How are you doing? How are things at camp?" Percy directed Nico to a small armchair and sat in front of him.

  
Nico glanced sideways slightly "They know a lot. I've told them. You can trust them, good people" Percy smiled encouragingly.

  
"Not good. Campers are disappearing and there are problems with communication" Nico frowned. He told them about Rachel not giving them prophecies anymore and how they can barely use Iris Messages and the gods still being silent despite Gaia's defeat.

  
"It's a miracle that you were able to reach me. The gods may be in your favor" Nico sighed.

  
"The line was kind of jammed now that you mention it" Percy frowned.

  
"I could probably figure out some way of communication" Tony chirped in.

  
"You could?" Nico looked at him coldly.

  
"Yeah" Tony nodded stiffly. He felt a cold shiver run down his spine as Nico met his eyes. There was some kind of aura around him that radiated death and melancony and it made Tony feel like he could have a panic attack any moment.

  
"No need for that Nico. They are trustworthy. They are trying to help people like we did" Percy chuckled softly "We should get them somehow in Camp Half-Blood" Percy said on a more serious note.

  
"What?" Nico whipped his head around to stare at him like he was nuts "B-But they are mortals. You can't bring mortals inside. Even if Chiron approved, the barrier might not let them trough"

  
Percy shrugged "I say it's worth a shot. Look. They are adults and experienced heroes. Our parents won't help us, and they might be the closest we get to help from anyone" Percy turned to look at them "If you want to help, that is"

  
Steve looked at Tony, his mind already made up about the matter, Clint and Natasha joining him. Bruce let them decide, as he was fine with their decision either way. Tony looked from their waiting and expectant faces to Pepper, who only smiled and nodded, patting his hand simpathetically.

  
"We'll do whatever we can" Tony sighed "I can't speak for Thor, but I'm sure he would have been the first to agree" he grinned, imagining their alien friend's enthusiastic way of running head first into things, especially if it was about a friend of his.

  
"Thank you guys. I really appreciate it" Percy smiled at them warmly.

  
"Thor? Who's Thor?" Nico looked between them and Percy confused.

  
"I'll tell you at another time. It's a lot to take in" Percy laughed.

  
"Well. Alright. I still have to ask Chiron about it" Nico stood from his seat, Percy following him.

  
"I'm glad you came Nico, I missed you" Percy wrapped him in a hug, holding him tightly, but not so much that Nico felt like he couldn't get away from the embrace if he wanted to. It felt nice actually, wrapping his arms around Percy and burying his face in his shirt.

  
Percy withdrew from the embrace and gave the young son of Hades a lopsided smile "Say hello to Will for me" Nico nodded slightly flushed and mumbled a soft 'Goodbye' to the team before he disappeared into the shadows.

  
"Interesting fellow" Tony mumbled, standing up and stretching.

  
"He is a good person. He's been through a lot like most of us" Percy smiled sadly.

  
"You said he lost his sister" Steve said carefully.

  
"Yes. He did" Percy told them briefly how he had met Nico and his older sister Bianca when they were sent to pick them up and get them to camp before Luke could recruit them to Kronos's titan army and how they lost Annaneth in the fight , Artemis and his hunters coming to their aid and Bianca choosing to join them, abandoning Nico. He told them how Thalia, Zoe, Bianca and Grover with a hunter named Phoebe were sent to a quest to find stop the General. He told them how he followed them with Blackjack because Phoebe got sick and Zoe left Camp earlier than planned, in the hopes of finding Annabeth along the way, and for he had promised Nico to keep his sister safe. He told them about the happenings leading up to Bianca's death and how Nico had blamed him for a long time for that. He told them Nico and Bianca are from a different time like Steve, previously stuck in Lotus Casino.

  
"I tried to help him, but he pushed me away, like the rest of us" Percy sighed, sitting back next to Steve, who put his arm around him and hugged him close protectively. Percy snuggled up to his side comfortably, not speaking for a while.

  
"It's insane how much you had to go through" Bruce said frowning, unlikely to his usually calm and composed expression.

  
"We never knew better. Chiron is a good person and he always wanted what's best for us, but he had no power to keep us safe in the long run. We had to do what had to be done to survive and make sure our loved ones are secure"

  
"We will do whatever we can in our power to help you. I promise" Steve kissed his temple.

  
"I'm sorry you got tangled up in this mess. I never meant to bring this on you" Percy bit his lower lip anxiously.

  
"Don't worry kid. This is what we do. And your problem is our problem as well at this point. You are one of us now" Clint smiled kindly.

  
"I have business to attend to" Pepper stood smiling "Call me if you need something" she left with her heels chattering on the floor, the sound fading as she reached the elevator.

  
"I think I'm gonna go take a nap" Tony announced, winking at Percy.

  
"That's a good idea" Bruce smiled and patted Tony on the back on his way to the kitchen.

  
"We better go after Fury and catch up on the meeting we missed" Natasha pecked Percy's cheek and left with Clint in tow.

  
"Well, I have classes again tomorrow so I better study my notes. I asked Dave to send me his notes from Friday. I have to check my emails anyway to see if the Aquarium will be open tomorrow or not" Percy said as he untangled himself from Steve.

  
"We can ride there together on my bike if you want" Steve offered.

  
"That would be nice" Percy smiled, pressing a soft kiss on his lips. Steve pulled him scloser by his waist, smiling into the kiss as Percy slid his arms around his neck to hug him closer.

  
"I'll see you tomorrow morning" Percy breathed against his lips, and pressed one lass kiss on his mouth before he withdrew completely and left to take an elevator to his suite. He spent the rest of the afternoon going through his notes and copying the ones David sent him. He got an email that the Aquarium would be closed for at least one week until the police was done with investigating the place. That got him some free time to unpack the things he brought from his old apartment and get appointments to get his address changed for the rest of the week. He made himself a sandwich for lunch and once he was finished with the amount of time he spent on studying he slipped into his sleeping clothes and tucked himself under the comfortable covers of his new bed. He felt nervous about seeing his friends again and what they would think about his new extended family that people called the Avengers. He fell asleep wondering how his friends planned to make things right, especially Annabeth, who Percy missed greatly. Grover had been supportive all along ever since he left camp, but it wasn't the same without Annabeth. It wasn't a trio anymore with only two people.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been writing this chapter for weeks on and off, quite lost how I shall proceed from where I had left it, and I'm still not sure where I'm going with all this, but I felt guilty about the few people who were waiting for an update so here it is. Again, I am a shitty writer, but I hope you enjoyed reading it somewhat, comments are always appreciated. I'll see you at the next chapter, whenever I will post it. Thank you for reading .w.


	10. Lunch time

The following week was peaceful and rather enjoyable for Percy, for the most part. He changed his address where it was necessary to the Avengers Tower. He made breakfast every morning for the team, and had plenty of time to work on assignments and study for his classes as he didn't have to go to work. He visited Dr. Davis at some point in the hospital, never mind that he didn't have information for him. Steve rode with him on his bike to the university every day, going out to eat beforehand, kind of like small dates. Percy had told the team quite a lot about his life already so he was curious to hear about Steve and his life before his ice coma.

Steve told him about his childhood in Brooklyn and his best friend Bucky, who he had lost during the war, his parents, who died early. He told Percy how he wanted to fight despite his illness and how he was chosen for the supersoldier program. He told Percy how he had met Peggy and how he became the first and last supersoldier, and his 'quest' to find Smith and bring justice for his friends and family. He told Percy about the plane and the bombs, how Smith died and how he had to fly the plane in the ocean to prevent mass destruction.

"Do you miss your old home?" Percy asked sadly, taking Steve's hand and squeezing it as they sat in a small diner, having lunch before Percy had to leave.

"Sometimes. But I miss Bucky more than anything." Steve smiled sadly.

"Did you...?" Percy trailed off.

"We were firends. Brothers almost. We loved each other, but it was purely platonic." Steve gave Percy's hand a reassuring squeeze. Percy smiled and nodded.

"I guess the only thing that really bothers me is that I have no relatives left." Steve looked out the window next to their table, eyes gazing in the distance unfocused. Percy pursed his lips, hating that sad look on his handsome face, wondering what he could do to cheer him up.

"Would you like to meet my mother?" Percy asked kindly after some time.

"Really? Isn't that too soon for that?" Steve lifted his eyebrows in surprise.

Percy shrugged "I don't think so. All I'm offering is lunch with her, not my hand." Percy smirked playfully.

Steve turned red nevertheless, coughing into his hand as Percy laughed.

"I would like that actually." Steve croaked out after he had turned a lighter shade of pink and Percy stopped laughing. Percy nodded and beamed, happy to finally introduce him to his family.

"I'll ask my mum tomorrow when it's good for her and Paul."

"Sounds good." Steve brought Percy's hand to his mouth and planted a soft kiss on his knuckles, making Percy blush and giggle.

Percy phoned his mother the next day after they had eaten breakfast, bouncing on the ball of his feet as he waited for her to pick up the phone.

"Hello, Sally Jackson speaking." her mother's smooth voice came through the line.

"Hi mum. It's Percy."

"Oh, Hi sweetie. How are you?" Percy could hear her smile and couldn't help but smile as well as he spoke.

"I'm okay. I'm currently at the Avengers Tower. And you mum?" a bit of concern slipped into his voice.

"We are okay. The baby is fine too." she chuckled "Have you moved in completely?" Sally asked kindly.

"Yes. I have changed my address and everything. But that's not the reason I was calling you." Percy started pacing in his bedroom.

"Is something wrong Perce?"

"No, not at all. I was wondering if you wanted to have lunch with me and Steve sometime?" Percy stopped pacing and bit his lower lip. He had told her about how he met Steve and everything that happened to him since, but he was anxious to hear her answer.

"I'd love to!" she beamed, making Percy relax "I was wondering when would you finally bring someone home. I love your friends don't get me wrong, but you deserve someone who appreciates you for more than being a hero. And I would be happy to meet this Steve who makes you so happy." she said softly.

"I'm sure you are going to love him." Percy smiled broadly, excitement bubbling in him already.

"You can come over on Thursday at noon." Sally went on excited.

"Are you sure? We could take you and Paul out for lunch." Percy offered worried, not wanting to bother her in her state with things like that.

"Not a chance. I want to cook for both of you." she huffed stubbornly.

"Okay okay." he laughed softly "I love you mum."

"Love you too sweetie. Take care."

"See you on Thursday!"

So that was that. Percy told Steve they would be going to have lunch with his mum. Steve felt nervous about meeting Percy's mother as he didn't want to make a bad impression on her. Percy assured him that it would be fine and he just had to be himself.

Nico visited them once more on Wednesday in the morning, telling them that he had talked with Chiron about bringing the Avengers to Camp Half-Blood. Chiron said they are given permission to enter and the barrier wouldn't hold them off, as they needed every source of help they were offered. So they agreed that they would pay Camp a visit during the weekend, and Tony would think about ideas on how to maintain communication without attracting monsters. Clint and Natasha said they would borrow a SHIELD jet and fly the whole team there.

Percy in the meantime proceeded to tell the team about his quests, from the last day of his first year at Camp Half-Blood, whenever the team was together, and took off one more evening from his classes to be done with it. He told them about his half-brother, Tyson, and his quest to find Grover and rescue him from the cyclops, and Thalia's tree being poisoned and how they got the golden fleece during the quest and saved the tree and also resurrecting Thalia in the process by accident. He told them about the battle in the labyrinth, then he continued his story from Bianca's death to finding Annabeth, then the battle of Manhattan. It was hard to relive all that, but Thor got back from Asgard on Monday in the afternoon and helped him with the explanation as best as he could. When he finished telling them about the battle and told them how Luke sacrificed himself in the end, everyone was in tears without exception.

"You did all that, in the span of 5 years?" Tony mused, wiping the tears from his eyes and sniffing.

Percy nodded sadly "I gained lots of friends and I lost a lot of good people, but it was only the first war I took part in" he shook his head. Steve hugged him protectively against himslef, holding him to comfort the young demigod.

Thor got briefed about what he had missed while he was away, and he agreed to help with the expected amount of determination, saying that it was time he helped Percy somehow. He was angry that those monsters attacked him and he wasn't there to help.

Percy then continued to tell them how Hera had kidnapped him one night a few months later and washed his brain to only remember his own name, and Annabeth's name, all in the hope of uniting Greeks and Romans against Gaea. He told them how he had trained with Lupa and how he found Camp Jupiter with the help of Juno before the gorgons could kill him. He told them about the short time he spent at Camp Jupiter and the friends he made there; Hazel and Frank (who is also distantly related to him), and their victory in the battle games. He told them he saw Nico there, as he was a son of Pluto (Hades's Roman form) like Hazel, being the only person to travel between the two camps. He told them how Mars (or Ares's Roman form) appeared right after the game's end and decleared Frank his son, then sent him and Percy, Hazel being the third Frank had chosen for the quest, to free Thanatos from Alcyoneus the strongest giant, who chained the god of death by his mother's order, Gaea, the earth mother.

The Roman war god told them Gaea was stirring from her slumber and she would destroy Camp Jupiter and all human beings if she wasn't stopped. He told them they had time until the Feast of Fortuna in four days. Percy told them about Octavian and his creepy stuffed animal killing rituals, and how he insisted they go immediately. He also told them about Reyna, the current praetor at the time who he had already encountered, and her offer of becoming the second praetor, as the last one went missing months ago, and how Percy had to turn off her offer, but promise to carry her message to her sister about the marching army to Camp Jupiter, who led the Amazons, and who Reyna hoped could help them fight off the army of monsters. He told them about their journey, their quest ending with killing the giant and freeing Thanatos, also bringing back the long lost staff of the Fifth Cohort and help defend Gaea's army. He told them about his promotion to praetor and the arrival of the Argo II, his reunion with Annabeth and his first encounter with Jason, son of Jupiter and the last preator with Reyna who went missing, who had been brainwashed just like Percy, and their hasty exit from Camp Jupiter because of a misunderstanding set up by Gaea.

It took Percy hours to explain all that and all he had been through with the crew of the Argo II, his very brief description of his time in Tartarus with Annabeth, for understandable reasons, leading up to the defeat of the giants with the help of the gods and their final battle against Gaea's forces, united with both Roman and Greek camps thanks to Athena's statue, and finally Gaea's downfall. While it was hard for Percy to talk about these things, his chest felt lighter sharing them with the team.

To the team it all sounded so absurd, and completely insane to think it all actually happened to Percy and his friends, and nobody even knew about it. It was especially disturbing to hear about Hera's brainwashing method. After hearing all that, Steve wanted nothing more than keep Percy safe from then on, and never let anything like that happen to him ever again.

"So...that was that." Percy sighed wearily at the end of his explanation.

Natasha had one arm around him, petting his hair gently, Clint at his other side with his arm curled around his waist. They had been taking turns to cuddle Percy during his stories to make him feel a bit more at ease, and now it was the spies' turn to comfort him.

"Are you okay?" Clint murmured gently.

"Yeah...I'm just tired." Percy offered a small smile.

"We will help you sort things out." Tony said firmly "Based on what you have told us, I've already got some ideas to make communication available without attracting monsters so both camps can communicate with each other and demigods in general can use technology more." Percy nodded with a grateful smile, muffling a yawn with his hand. It was late and he felt drained emotionally.

"I think I'm off for the night." he yawned again and untangled himself from the spies before standing up.

"Can I accompany you to your suite?" Steve asked, standing from his spot as well.

"If you wan to." Percy mumbled sleepily, stretching his limbs that went numb from sitting so long. Percy wished goodnight to everyone before they took off to the elevators.

"So what's up big guy?" Percy grinned sleepily up at the man standing next to him.

"What do you mean?" Steve asked swiftly with a sideglance as they waited for the elevator to arrive at the end of the hall.

"Are you nervous about the lunch with mum and Paul tomorrow?" Percy nudged his side playfully with a smirk.

"Er..." he stole a glance at him again, making Percy lift a questioning eyebrow. Steve sighed mentally, knowing well there was no point in lying to him, so he nodded, scratching the back of his neck "I am..." he admitted.

"You shouldn't be. She will definitely love you, and I bet Paul will be delighted to meet you" Percy smiled kindly as they got in the elevator.

"I know it's silly." Steve mumbled, pressing the button to Percy's floor.

"Don't worry. Just be yourself and it will be fine. You don't have to impress anyone. I just want you to meet my family. It's not like we are getting married." Percy laughed softly, unaware of how Steve's heartrate picked up upon hearing this, his mind wandering to a picture of a domestic life with Percy, maybe even rising kids. The picture of Percy holding a small child that looked a bit like the mixture of both of them was definitely a lovely thought, something he never thought would come to mind. He was shaken out of his thoughts by the lift arriving at their destined floor, which may have been for the best because now he had to fight down the blush that was creeping to his face.

"Here we are." Percy smiled sleepily, fumbling with his keycard to get his door open.

Steve cleared his throat and nodded "It seems." he spoke in a bit of a raspy voice, which Percy must have mistaken for nerves, because he pulled Steve down for a kiss. Steve didn't mind really, resting his hands on the younger man's waist and deepening the kiss eagerly, Percy's softly caressing tongue on his lips making him shiver. They had to pull apart finally, Percy pecking his lips one last time.

"Good night Steve. See you in the morning. And don't dwell on it too much." he said with a bit of a concerned warning in his voice.

"Good night Percy. I promise I won't." Steve smiled fondly, wrapping him in a hug before Percy disappeared into his room.

 

 

***

 

 

Steve felt really nervous about the whole thing, spending at least an hour after breakfast to pick out something not too casual, but also not too formal at the same time to wear for the lunch. At the end he picked out a light blue button up shirt and a a pair of dark jeans with black dress shoes. He laid out his clothes neatly and showered for the second time that morning, because he had sweat so much from anxiety. He took his time cleaning himself and washing his hair to ease some of his uneasiness. He had no idea why he felt so nervous about meeting Percy's mother and stepfather. He had faced scarier things than parents, yet his stomach clenched nervously by every minute that brought the lunch closer, worrying whether they would like himm. Percy was studying in his room because he had to attend to his classes after the lunch, so he didn't want to bother him with his childish concerns.

Though, he had never gone on dates with anyone, let alone met their parents. Still, he scolded himself mentally to grow up and act reasonibly. He finished getting ready, disappointed that it was barely past 10 am.

He busied himself with looking through files Fury had sent him about missions, and sketching in his sketchbook. He found himself sketching Percy with his sword drawn, battle ready. He sketched the dracenae as good as he could remember, the fishes and sea animals he had seen in the Aquarium. Percy smiling, looking fondly at the animals and fishes in the different exhibits.

He blinked in surprise when he saw he spent more than an hour doodling without even noticing. He put away his sketchbook and checked himself in a mirror one last time. He was still slightly nervous, but drawing always helped him relax so he definitely felt better. He grabbed his keys, wallet and phone, then left his suite to pick up Percy. He made a detour to the kitchen to get the bottle of wine he had bought for the occasion and put it in a bag.

"Jarvis, could you inform the others that I'm leaving with Percy? Tell them I won't be back before 5 pm." Steve spoke as he entered an elevator.

"Of course. Anything else I can help with Captain?" Jarvis asked politely.

"No, thank you. This will be all." Steve smiled gratefully.

"I wish you and Master Jackson to have a good time." Jarvis said with a hint of amusement in his voice.

"Er...thank you." Steve answered awkwardly, fidgeting with the bag in his hand. He felt relieved when the elevator finally stopped on Percy's floor. He had the impression sometimes that Jarvis was more humanly intelligent than people give him credit for. Once in front of Percy's door, Steve knocked and waited patiently.

"Hey Steve." Percy beamed, closing the door behind himself and shouldering his backpack. He wore a dark navy blue shirt with rolled up sleeves and a pair of light brown skinny jeans with his sneakers. He looked handsome, hair as messy and untamed as ever, seagreen eyes sparkling with excitement. Steve couldn't help but smile back seeing his brilliant smile. He noticed Percy's teeth were slightly pointy, even more noticable when he gave a toothy grin. He looked like an adorable shark in his opinion.

Percy found Steve's choice of clothing really fitting as well, especially the way the fabric clang to his sharp and muscular form. It really suited him, and his blue shirt really made his eyes pop. The smile he directed at Percy made the young hero's heart flutter. He could tell Steve was far from calm, but he seemed less nervous than the day before.

They spent a few moments just admiring the other's appearance, Steve being the first one to break the silence.

"So. Shall we?" Steve offered Percy his arm with a winning smile, which Percy took chuckling with amusement. They walked arm in arm to the elevators, Steve making a show of letting Percy in first, making him laugh softly.

"What's in the bag?" Percy asked curiously, eyeing the bag in Steve's hand.

"A gift. I can't go with empty hands." Steve explained, pulling out the fine bottle of wine Tony had chosen for him.

Percy hummed "Mum can't drink now though."

"She doesn't like wine?" Steve asked, brows furrowed in confusion.

Percy shook his head "It's not that. She is pregnant." he smiled.

"What? She's pregnant? You never told me."

"It never really came up." Percy shrugged apologetically.

"We shouldn't have let her bother with cooking. We should have taken her out." a bit of panic and guilt creeped into Steve's voice, biting his lower lip.

"I told her that, but she was adamant about cooking for us." Percy shrugged again, pressing a soft kiss on Steve's cheek, walking out into the underground garage where Steve's motorbike parked. Steve followed him with a sigh, putting the bottle back in the bag. He still felt guilty about causing trouble for her, but it couldn't be helped now. Steve handed Percy a helmet and put on his own.

"Can you hold on to that for me?"

"Of course." Percy took the bag from Steve, climbing behind him on the bike and wrapping his arms around him, flush against Steve's back, wriggling to get comfortable.

Steve was grateful for the helmet, because it hid his blush. He had given Percy rides on his bike several times, but he still couldn't get used to the warm body pressed against him. It was nice, but it made him all flushed. He gulped down the lump in his throat and started off the engine, speeding out of the Tower towards the Manhattan adress Percy had given him. He parked his bike in front of the five-story brick row house, taking Percy's helmet and the bag.

They walked up the front steps and Percy opened the door with his keys. They took the stairs to the fifth floor and Percy unlocked the door with his key. Percy motioned for Steve to walk in first, followng him and closing the door behind them. Steve looked around curiously, noting how cozy the apartment looked, not big but it was very nice.

"Mum! We are here!" Percy called out, dropping his backpack by the door.

"Percy! Welcome home!" a man came from the kitchen wearing an apron, wrapping Percy in a bear hug.

"Hey Paul." Percy grinned.

Paul turned to Steve, offering hand with a small smile "Paul Blofis, Percy's stepfather."

"Steve Rogers, nice to meet you." Steve smiled back "I brought this as a gift, though I wasn't aware that your wife can't drink right now." he said sheepishly, handing Paul the wine.

"Wow. This is really nice." Paul said in awe, inspecting the bottle "You really shouldn't have." he beamed and beckoned them further in the apartment towards the kitchen.

From the kitchen emerged a stunning woman with a swollen belly, smiling broadly as she spotted Percy and instatly spread her arms for him. They shared a quick hug, Percy manouvering around her belly in fear of hurting the baby. He smoothed a hand down his mother's belly, chatting happily with her. Finally he tugged Steve next to himself.

"Steve, meet my mother." he gestured at her. Her facial features were a lot like Percy's, though she had blue eyes that seemed to change colour in the light and she had brown hair with grey streaks in it. She was beautiful, almost glowing with happiness.

"I'm Percy's mother, Sally Jackson." she shook Steve's hand.

"Steve Rogers, nice to meet you Mrs Jackson." he smiled nervously.

"The pleasure is mine." she beamed "And please, call me Sally." she checked her watch "Lunch will be ready in a few minutes. The table is already set, so why don't you give a tour of the apartment for Steve in the meantime, Percy dear?" she offered, gently cardling Percy's face with one hand.

"Great idea mum! Come on Steve, I'll show you around quickly." Percy said excitedly, pulling Steve along with him to the livingroom. Steve found that every wall and table was decorated with pictures. Some had Percy and Sally on it or Sally and Paul, one was a picture of a group of kids all in orange T-shirts and big smiles, probably a Camp Half-Blood group picture. There was one with a very young looking Percy, a blonde serious looking girl, and a ginger boy with horns and a goate. He guessed they were Annabeth and Grover, Percy's best friends. One picture showed Percy with a larger boy that only had one eye, smiling croockedly at the camera. Steve thought it must have been Percy's half-brother, Tyson.

Percy came to stand next to Steve, watching the pictures with a small sad smile.

"They seem like good people, and you seem really happy among them." Steve said quietly, glancing sideways at Percy.

"Yeah...good old times" Percy sighed, grabbing the picture with him, Grover and Annabeth. He looked longingly at the picture, like he wished his friends would just jump out of the frame and hug it out.

"You were in a relationship with Annabeth, weren't you?" Steve asked carefully, watching Percy's face twist into a pained expression for a moment.

"Yeah...I was. And I was so sure we would be together as long as we lived. We went through so much together, especially in Tartarus. I thought we were meant to be together." he shrugged "Guess I was wrong. I was sad about it for a long time, but I don't feel the same anymore about her. Now I just hope we will be able to stay friends." he said quietly, putting the picture back to its place. Steve put a reassuring hand on his shoulder, giving a small squeeze. Percy showed Steve the rest of the house, ending with his bedroom. By the time they were done Sally was calling for them to start eating.

The lunch was delicious as expected, full of love and care that only a mother can produce. Steve enjoyed himself, chatting with Sally and Paul lightly, and even though Paul was clearly excited to meet him, he didn't ask about his previous life, which Steve appreciated. The dessert was blue coloured chocolate cupcakes with blue ice-cream, sweet and creamy. They were having small talk, Percy describing his new home enthusiastically.

"So you feel content in there?" Sally asked about the Tower.

"It's nice. And I don't feel alone." he turned to smile at Steve.

"Are you two dating?" Paul asked bluntly, making Steve choke on his ice-cream.

"Well..." Percy trailed off unsure, looking at Steve expectantly, asking silently how to answer. Steve looked between him and his parnets, quite unsure about the answer himself. They had gone on dates and have kissed numerous times, but they never really established whether they were a couple or not. Though, he had to admit to himself that he enjoyed spending time with Percy more than anything, and he wanted to spend even more time with him if possible. He took Percy's hand under the table. Percy smiled in return, squeezing his hand in confirmation.

"We are." Percy exlaimed happily.

"I'm happy for you." Sally smiled gently "I love Annabeth, but I didn't see you two staying together for too long." she confessed slightly apologetically "It's nice to see you happy again. Maybe even happier, I might add." she said with amusement.

"So...what are you going to do about the monsters?" Paul asked gently "We worry you about when you are not around, Perce."

"I don't know yet..." Percy said quietly "Tony and the team offered to help and we will fly to camp this weekend, though I still don't know what we are up against. Nico told me there were weird things happening at Camp and that they can't contact Camp Jupiter or use IM at all." he said grimly.

He promised to keep them updated on everything, and call them when they get back to the Tower.

They finished their dessert and said their goodbyes, as Percy had to get to his classes. Sally wrapped both of them in a hug before they left, Paul hugging Percy and shaking hands with Steve.

"It was nice to finally meet you. Thank you for keeping Percy safe. Feel free to come again whenever you like." Sally smiled.

Steve felt guilty hearing that, thinking that so far it was only due to Percy's incredible powers and experience that he was still alive. Steve felt like he failed to keep him safe, but nodded nonethless, feeling warm hearing that he would be welcomed there.

"I'll call and let you know how it went at Camp." Percy said finally as he and Steve left the apartment. Sally nodded with a smile and gave a small wave, closing the door behind them. As they climbed the stairs down, Percy paused and turned to look at Steve.

"So...we are dating?" he asked nervously.

"If you will have me." Steve answered playfully, coming to stand in front of him, grabbing him by his waist and pulling him closer until they were standing with toes tuching.

"Then, will you date me?" Percy grinned, bracing himself by putting his hands on Steve's torso.

"Of course I will." Steve whispered gently, leaning down to bring their lips together. They kissed slowly, enjoying their closeness and the taste of the other, breaking apart with broad smiles. Percy laughed happily as they walked down the rest of the stairs holding hands, Steve smiling. He finally felt like he could have someone who loved him for being who he is, and not because what he had done in the past. Percy was refreshing, kind of like fresh air and he didn't want to ever let him go.

They rode to the university Percy attended to and parted ways there with a chaste kiss. Steve felt ridiculously happy, and foolish thinking how nervous he had felt about the lunch completely unnecessarily. He really liked Percy's parents and he was glad Percy would get a baby sister soon. Even though he didn't have living relatives anymore, he felt like he really was a part of something bigger. Ever since he met Percy, everything just felt better. The Avengers felt more like a family than a team of strangers, and he didn't feel as alone in the world. He spent the rest of the night writing reports for Fury and wondering how he could help Percy get his friends back. He looked so happy on the pictures, so young and full of light. He was still bright, but something about being with the people he cared about made him glow even more, and Steve wanted to see that in person.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys.  
> I didn't expect to post so soon. This kind of a filler type thing? I don't know. It's kind of short because I wanted the team to meet Percy's friends in the next chapter, which will probably take me longer to write. I'm not as satisfied with this as the last one, but I want to put more time in the upcoming chapter. Anyway. I hope you enjoyed it somewhat. I'm really not good at this, but I enjoy writing and this story is kind of like my baby. Which brings up the thing that still makes me squeal; somebody drew fan art of Steve and Percy!!  
> I'm freaking out because they linked my fanfic as well. It kind of motivated me to write faster this time, kind of like to thank that person.
> 
> Check it out if you like: https://dobbyisfreelmfao.tumblr.com/post/165084993732/you-can-tell-me-stercy-doesnt-exist-but-i-read
> 
> So...yeah. Comments are always appreciated, and I'm grateful for every each one of them, be it constructive critique or just your opinion about the story. I'll see you guys next time, if you still want to read more, though it will take a while because I have a crazy school schedule.  
> Bye guys!


	11. Touches

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning for mature content ahead!

Percy breathed against Steve's mouth, hips rocking back against the soldier's lap. He smiled into their next kiss as Steve groaned, a pleasant shiver finding its way down his spine at the low sound.

"Percy..." Steve sounded almost like he was begging, and that made the heat in the demigod's belly flare up. He pulled back to mouth at Steve's sharp jaw and neck instead, drawing another pleasant sound from the man, the hands on his ass tightening, gripping. He could feel Steve's hardness with each movement, his own jeans growing tighter by the second.

"Steve." Percy gasped as Steve ground up and captured his mouth for another smearing kiss "Gods, Steve. We should move to the bedroom."

"Are you sure?"

Percy smiled fondly, warmth filling his chest. Steve's hands still held him firmly and they were pressed tightly together, foreheads touching. Yet the older man still found it in himself to worry. Percy pressed down hard against him and nodded with hooded eyes.

"Yeah. I want you. I have wanted you for a while now."

"Good." Steve's breath made his lips tingle as he spoke "Because I feel the same. Have felt the same." He stood from the couch they had been occupying, Percy held steadily by his bottom, and carried him to his bedroom. They didn't stop kissing and tasting each other until Steve gently dropped Percy on his bed.

Percy found that he liked it when Steve used his strength on him, the way he lifted him so effortlessly like he weighed nothing. The way he handled him with such care. Steve covered him easily too, the hard lines of his body pressed against his made Percy whine low in his throat as Steve kissed him breathless again.

Percy's shirt came off first, followed by Steve's. They both took a few moments to appreciate each other, Percy only able to think how gorgeous his boyfriend was, like a statue craved from marble. Barely any hair, any markings.

"Perfect." he heard Steve whisper. Percy shivered, Steve's large hands smoothing over his tingling and hot skin, over scars and burnmarks he liked to cover up. Steve kissed each of them, teeth grazing over his ribs and nipples until Percy felt overwhelmed with affection and want.

"S-Steve," Percy choked on his words as Steve licked at his hipbone, bucking helplessly. "Please-" He wasn't sure what he was asking for, but Steve seemed to know immediately as he moved to unzip his jeans and tug them off his thighs. He kissed them both, Percy helping him to get his pants off completely.

"Really?" Steve bit back a chuckle as he finally registered what he was seeing. Percy's Finding Nemo decorative boxer briefs.

"Shut up. I liked that movie." Percy pouted and pulled him down for another battle of tongues, hands fumbling with Steve's belt. He huffed impatiently as Steve took pity on him and moved to help him rid of his pants. He couldn't help but stare a bit at the erection outlined by Steve's black briefs, nothing left to the imagination. He felt himself twitch especially at the spot darkening the fabric already.

"What do you want baby?" Steve kissed him lightly, ever so patient.

"I wanna taste you." Percy didn't mean to blurt it out like that, but the sight of Steve's tight boxers made his mouth water "Can I?"

Steve cursed and nodded stiffly "God, of course you can. I might not last long, but whatever you want." Percy smiled shyly and let Steve take his place, leaning against the head of the bed. He moved between the soldier's legs feeling dizzy with want.

"May I?"

Steve nodded and shivered in anticipation when Percy took the hem of his boxers and pulled, freeing his buldging erection in an agonizingly slow motion. Steve breathed heavily through his nose as Percy held the shaft in his hand, moaning when the demigod spat and gave a few experimental strokes. He was ready to spill and he had hardly been touched at all. It was almost too much to handle when Percy actually took him in his mouth, tongue sliding between the head and the shaft, then circling lazily, watching the soldier's face twist in pleasure. As he started to move down Steve's length, he stroked what he couldn't reach with his mouth, savoring the sounds his lover made for him. The low groans and moans, the praises and the way his hands fisted the bedsheets. Percy leaked in his own briefs by all this, summoning all his willpower not to touch himself. Steve's keening moans, the weight of his arousal on his tongue, the way it twitched, the tension in the man's thighs on either side of his head.

"Fuck-- Percy, I'm gonna cum." Percy moaned as the older man cursed openly, and the vibrations sent Steve over the edge. He came down Percy's eager throat, fingers almost ripping the sheets, toes curling, and Percy took it all happily. He slumped back against the covers tiredly as his cock softened, blood pumping loudly in his ears while Percy pulled off and wiped his mouth clean. After a few seconds of breathing hard he sat up and pulled the demigod in his lap again to kiss him.

"I'm glad you liked that." Percy chuckled against his lips fondly, mouth a little sore, but blissfully so. He could still taste Steve on his tongue.

"I loved it." Steve kissed his neck and sucked on his collarbone. "Your mouth stretched around me, your tongue. God, I have to draw that sometime." Percy blushed crimson and his own still rock hard erection jumped against Steve's hips, screaming for some attention. "But first you have to finish." Percy moaned and gripped Steve's shoulders when the soldier's knuckles brushed against his aching arousal, through the wet fabric. "What do you want me to do?"

Percy wanted to scream and spill his load right then and there, but instead he made his dry tongue work again. "I want--" He licked his lips and looked up into Steve's eyes, his usually calming and skyblue orbs now dark with lust, pupils blown so much so that Percy could almost see himself in them. "I just-- Please touch me."

Steve cupped his jaw with his rough hands and kissed him like his life depended on it. Percy returned his enthusiasm and moaned against the soldier's mouth as their tongues danced. "Help me out." Steve murmured into the space between their faces, hands tugging at Percy's boxers.

Percy lifted his hips and let Steve peel off the last layer of clothing still left on him, and sighed at being finally freed from the sticky fabric. Steve's breath hitched as he took in the demigod perched on his lap, seeing him completely bare for the first time. He had seen him in various states of undress, but this was completely different.

His tanned skin littered with scars, now flushed and covered in the lovemarks he had left behind. His lithe but muscular body, his wide shoulders and the narrow V of his hips, the dark trail of hair that led to an angry red and wet erection. And his face-- Sweaty jetblack hair sticking to his forehead, flushed cheeks and bruised full lips, dark seagreen eyes watching him intensely.

Steve wanted to write poetry about the pure sin that Percy's body was. He wanted to draw him, capture his beauty. But more than anything, he wanted to see him come undone. Make Percy scream his name, make him see stars. Steve shivered at the sudden feeling of possesiveness and tried his best to ignore it.

Their lips met again, this time slower and sweeter, Steve smoothing both hands down Percy's body, feeling muscles curl under his fingers. He pulled Percy higher on his lap by the back of his knees, marveling over how perfectly they fit next to his own.

"Steve, please." Percy buried his face in the soldier's sweaty neck, hips grinding ever so slightly, desperate for friction. And Steve could never deny him anything, even if he wanted to. He sneaked his hand between their bodies, then wrapped his fingers around Percy and tugged, drawing a needy moan from the demigod. He felt drunk listening to the sounds Percy made, as he got closer and closer to his orgasm. The almost unaudible whines building to choked moans, the muffled cries.

The way the demigod tugged at his hair and sealed their lips together until they were both just panting against each other, tongues slack against the other. Steve could see Percy was still trying to hold onto his climax, up until the point he finally stumbled over the edge. The way his hips stuttered and lashes fluttered, jaw going slack in a silent scream Steve swallowed, the spurs of semen painting both of their stomaches white as he rode out his orgasm. Percy breathed heavily against him, muscles relaxed and lazily draped over the older man's body as he slowly came down from his high.

"Are you okay?" Steve asked gently, treading a hand through the teen's sweat soaked locks.

"Yeah," Percy nodded meakly "I'm great. This was-- Just what I needed."

Steve hummed and smiled fondly "Me too." he nuzzled Percy's neck and kissed the skin tenderly, wet and salty.

"Come on. Let's get you cleaned up."  
Percy followed him tiredly to the bathroom and let himself be washed as they stood in the shower together. They climbed in Steve's bed after toweling off and fell asleep curled together, comforted by the warmth of each other.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So...this was an interesting experience. I'm not all that satisfied with the smut I write, but I enjoyed experimenting nevertheless. I don't use vulgar words in general, so I try to replace them which equals a lot of play with words. I squeezed one in there though, and tried to use other words less in my comfort zone.   
> I hope it wasn't utter garbage to read :D
> 
> Story continues in the next chaper!


	12. Going home

Pieper was giddy. 

She had been happy enough ever since she went home to her Dad and both her and Jason started going to school. Even if there were bumps on the road, they supported each other. 

She missed Camp Half-Blood dearly though, the warm air and the fresh strawberry smell, her cabin and her sisters and brothers, even Drew. The smell of burning food at dinner and the ridiculous songs around the campfire. Lazy nights spent with Jason and Leo curled around her. She missed her friends, most importantly. 

When Nico popped up at Camp Jupiter during one of their visits to tell them about Percy, startling both her and Jason in their research of minor deities, her heart had clenched painfully. She felt quilty for never thinking about contacting Percy, but she assumed him and Annabeth were still together. She was ashamed, being the daughter of the godess of love, that she couldn't notice Percy was hurting. She agreed to go back to camp of course, she and Jason were going to visit soon anyway. Nico didn't tell them much about Percy, he thought it would be best to let the son of Poseidon tell them himself whatever he wanted them to know, but told them that he wasn't coming alone.

So, naturally, Piper felt a bit uneasy. Even so upon hearing that Percy had company, he had new friends. The Avengers, no less. 

She should have seen it coming, really. People couldn't help but feel something pull them towards the young hero, something she had felt too. He wasn't her type, but she couldn't deny he had an alluring personality. There was something so easy-going and calming, yet cheerful about him. Like you could turn to him anytime you were in trouble and you could count on him no matter what. 

Piper knew it wasn't fair to assume that Percy or Jason, Annabeth or Reyna or anyone would solve all of their problems, but it was a comforting thought to be able to rely on someone even when everything was lost, a strong leader. So the fact that he befriended the most popular mortal heroes on Earth somehow wasn't that much of a shock. If Thor was mortal at all, which she had no idea about.

When the SHIELD jet landed on a clearing next to the strawberry fields, and a group of otherwise normal looking people stepped out, that was more surprising. 

As the door of the jet slowly slid open, it revealed Percy standing in the middle, next to him on the left a tall dirtblond man seemingly in his thirties, and a redhead woman around the same age, Captain America on his right with a more relaxed looking middle aged man in a suit, and no Thor appearantly. No Tony Stark either, for that matter. They didn't wear hero suits, only Captain America had his shield on his back, besides that they were dressed more casually. 

A crowd of campers had formed on the clearing, Chiron sitting in his wheelchair patiently with Rachel at the front, Nico and Will next to him, waiting in tense silence for the Avengers and their young hero to return. Piper, Leo, Jason, Hazel, Frank and Annabeth were standing a few feet ahead of them with Grover to be the first ones to greet them.

"So that's all that is? A 'magical barrier' ? That doesn't seem very secure to me." Piper heard the older looking dirtblond man grunt next to Percy, crossing his arms over his chest, eyes roaming the fields and the surrounding woods as they stepped out.

"It's more useful than you would think, Clint." Percy said with amusement, breathing in the fresh, strawberry scented warm air he had missed ever since he left.

"Save it Clint. We have company." the redhead woman nodded in their direction with a blank look. 

"What about Tony? Shouldn't he have followed us?" the man in the suit asked with brows furrowed. Piper noted how much he resembled a lost puppy with that look. 

As soon as the words left his mouth, the sound of a rumbling engine filled the air, followed by the Ironman suit landing beside them with a loud thud, parting for Tony to step out with his usual showman smirk. The campers all stared at the suit in awe, especially the Hephaestus kids, eyeing the machine with hungry looks, hands itching to touch it, take it apart and maybe put it back together. Piper rolled her eyes internally as he felt Leo fidget at her side, taking one of his oil stained hands. She felt him twitch, but relax in her hold, and smiled softly to herself as he curled his fingers around hers.

"Sorry guys. I went around the perimeter to see the place for myself." the billionare said without any remorse, whatsoever.

"You are just showing off." Percy snorted with a roll of his eyes.

"Me? No way!" Tony said in a mockingly hurt voice, his hand over his heart dramatically. The girls giggled and a few guys snorted in the crowd. Tony turned to the campers and Chiron with a confident smile.

"Hello everyone! My name is Tony Stark, but I'm sure you already know that, so let me introduce the Avengers to you." he turned to gesture at his team like he was a talk show host on television. "This is Dr Bruce Banner, otherwise known as Hulk, the big green guy who likes to smash things, but also a brilliant scientist when he isn't destroying stuff." Bruce smiled good naturedly and gave a small awkward wave "And this is Steve Rogers, more commonly known as Captain America, our national hero and team tactics director,--" 

"Nice to meet you." Steve nodded with a smile, making the girls giggle and making Piper roll her eyes halfheartedly at her fellow girl campmates. 

Tony cleared his throat, capturing everyone's attention again "This is Clint Barton, known as Hawkeye, a professional assassin and a wicked archer." Clint gave a short nod in their direction, the Apollo kids staring at him in awe. "And last but not least, his partner, Natasha Romanoff, known as Black Widow, the deadliest woman I know, an equally skilled assassin." Natasha acknowledged them each with a nod and an icy stare, especially Piper and the others upfront. Piper fought the urge to reach for her dagger hanging securely on her belt, Natasha's stare making her feel uneasy for some reason.

"It's a pleasure to welcome you here. My name is Chiron, the camp activities director of Camp Half-Blood." Chiron smiled and stood from his magical wheelchair, changing into his centaur form. He shook hands with a baffled Tony and trotted up to Percy, laying a hand on his shoulder with an affectionate squeeze. Steve and Bruce were obviously staring, but Chiron wasn't surprised by that.

"My boy. You have no idea how great it is to see you again. There have been...ah...complications for a while now." Chiron cast a wotried sideglance in the direction of the campers. Percy nodded in understanding, knowing well that they were going to discuss it further in the Big House later with less audience.

"It's good to be back." Percy smiled sadly, stealing a glance at his old friends. Chiron gave his shoulder one last squeeze before stepping back.

"Campers, guests! Dinner will be served soon in the dining pavilion. Until then, you are to continue your activities according to your schedules." several groans echoed from the crowd, which Chiron fixed with a stare. "You are free to interact with our guests after dinner." he said firmly, turning back to look at the team. "Percy will give you a tour of our camp, please, feel right at home." he said finally before trotting off in the direction of the Big House.

The crowd slowly dissolved as disappointed campers left to continue their previous activities, leaving Grover, Piper, Jason, Leo, Annabeth, Hazel and Frank with the team and Percy. Piper could tell the tension was thick in the air. Annabeth had been worrying her lower lip ever since they gathered on the clearing, probably feeling guilty more than any of them. Grover however jogged forward and wrapped Percy in a hug with a smile as soon as the crowd dissolved.

"I missed you man. IMs are not even remotely enough." Grover smiled.

"I missed you too G-man!" Percy beamed, turning to the curiously watching team "Team, this is my best friend, Grover Underwood. As you can see, he is a satyr." he rolled his eyes "Stop staring guys. It's rude." he said with a hint of amusement.

"Sorry." Steve said sheepishly "Nice to meet you Grover. We've heard a lot about you." he said while offering his hand. Grover took his hand with a curious look between him and Percy.

"Are you two an item?" Grover asked as he withdrew. Clint and Natasha both lifted an eywbrow, looking at the couple expectantly.

"Well...er...can we talk about that later?" Percy said with a pointed look at Piper and his old friends still standing awkwardly a few feet further from them, watching them anxiously.

"Alright then...I'll see you at dinner." Grover said before he lelft.

Percy sighed heavily, sending the team a look that said he had to do this alone. Clint grunted angrily but nodded and tugged Natasha with him inside the jet. Steve and Bruce changed nervous looks but followed the spies inside. Tony followed without a word, which was a surprise to both him and his team.

"Hi..." Percy said as he stopped in front of them. They all mumbled greetings in unison, not really knowing what to say. Percy could tell they felt guilty, but it didn't change the fact that they simply forgot about him. 

Hazel however, unable to contain herself any further, rushed to Percy and threw her arms around him, sobbing into his shirt. Percy huffed, wrapping his arms around her. He couldn't really stay mad at her afterall. She was almost like a sister to him. He blinked surprised when a second pair of thicker and stronger arms wrapped around him, Frank pressing his forehead to his temple with silent tears. Percy patted gently the big guy's arm, rubbing circles on Hazel's small back until her sobs subsided. Annabeth watched the encounter silently, feeling more guilty than ever, wishing they could just hug it out and be best friends like they used to be.

"I'm so sorry Percy." Hazel sniffed as she stepped back and wiped off the tears from her face "We had no idea you felt so lonely here." she looked down at her shoes.

"We should have contacted you. There's no excuse for our ignorance." Frank said equally broken.

"We should have made the effort to speak with you. After everything that happened...we shouldn't have left you." Jason said, hand grasping Piper's tightly, her hand squeezing Leo's in her hold.

She felt his sorrow. When Leo disappeared, something died between her and the Seven. Leo was the soul of the team. Despite his own insecurities and fears, he was the voice that kept cheerful and optimistic in the worst situations. More importantly, he disappeared before Piper and Jason could say anything to him. Something had started to bloom between the three of them, but then they just felt an empty gaping hole in their souls. Getting to know that he was still alive, and seeing his stupid grin when he arrived back on Festus with Calypso made them forget all that. They kissed and hugged and talked. It was like being able to breathe again.

"We were so engrossed with our own lives and freedom from demigod business we didn't think about you." Piper let go of Leo's hand to wrap her arms around Percy. "I'm so sorry Perce. I had no idea you broke up with Annabeth. You seemed so happy and perfect together I had no doubt you belonged to each other." she said quietly. Percy sighed defeatedly, finding it harder and harder to be upset with any of them. He had missed his friends so much. It filled him with relief to see Leo among them.

"We really are sorry." said latino offered with a guilty frown "These past few months have been hard on all of us. But that doesn't mean it was right to leave you hanging."

"I know...It just really hurt that you didn't bother to see me at all. Especially you, Annabeth."

Annabeth looked up to meet Percy's eyes, the hurt and sadness in them making her heart clench painfully.  
"I wasn't fair with you Percy. I shouldn't have ignored you. It was hard to break down what we had built together, and I should have known it was just as hard for you. I shouldn't have left you alone. I hope you can forgive me one day and be my friend again." she said with tears swelling in her stormy grey eyes.

Percy smiled sadly, feeling more relieved than he thought he would hearing these words "It hurt to let you go. But it hurt more that you gave me the cold shoulder afterwards." Annabeth nodded with tears sliding down her cheeks "I do want us to be friends though. Like in the old times." Percy spread his arms open. Annabeth had a flicker of doubt in her eyes, but when she saw Percy really wanted to embrace her, she wasted no time to accept the hug, squeezing him back tightly. They spent a few seconds just enjoying the embrace, then came apart smiling.

"I missed you Seaweed Brain." Annabeth smiled broadly.

"I missed you too Wise Girl." Percy laughed and laughed with joy, because he had missed their stupid nicknames so much and it felt so good to hear and say it again.

Steve came out of the plane smiling, to the sound of Percy's laughter, slipping his hand into the demigod's. Piper looked at the two of them, then at their hands, then back at their smiling faces and subtle blushes, then at Jason and Leo, at Annabeth, and last but not least at Hazel and Frank.

"I'm Steve Rogers, nice to meet you. Percy have told us a lot about you and your adventures together." he said kindly.

"Are you...?" Piper tilted her head curiously. 

Percy nodded shyly, scratching his red tinted cheek. "We are a couple, yes. We haven't known each other for long and we are taking things slow, but we are together." he said nervously, anxious about his friends' possible reactions.  
Annabeth considered Steve with her usual stormy and calculating gaze, not intimidated to look the taller man in the eye. Steve looked right back at her, hoping she would accept him. He knew how much she meant for Percy and how much her opinion meant to him. Tony and the rest of the team came out to the stare-off, watching Annabeth curiously.

"I'm sure you know that you have to face severe consequences if you hurt him." Annabeth said seriously, Jason and the others nodding in agreement. Steve had the feeling that it didn't matter who the foe was, be it the Avengers or someone even more powerful, there would be no stopping these six, especially if it was about their friend, and he decided he didn't want to get on their bad side no matter what. Make no mistake, he didn't plan to hurt Percy, but that was definitely something to keep in mind. Steve nodded stiffly, Percy chuckling amused at how panicked six teenagers made him after everything he had been through and the enemies he had fought with his team.

"Now that it's out of the way," Tony cut in "is there a place where I can put my stuff?" he said, fidgeting with his phone.

"I'm sure the Hephaestus kids would love to get their hands on your equipment, so they probably won't mind you set up a workshop in Bunker 9." Annabeth said with a questioning look at Leo.

Leo shrugged and nodded "Sure. I don't see why not. We better ask Nyssa too though."

"And I would look out for your equipment too. Hermes kids tend to steal." Annabeth shrugged. Tony made a horrified face, being quite protective of his toys.

"I'm sure if we ask them nicely they will leave your stuff alone." Bruce said innocently. 

Percy snorted a laugh at how pure Bruce was to think that, but didn't tell him that. Piper mused how could a man like that become a huge angry green guy and destroy half a city with just his bare hands.

"Anyway, I need to unpack my toys so...show the way?" Tony grabbed Percy's shoulder affectionately with his signature smirk.

"Sure. I'll show you guys around and then we can help you carry everything in Bunk 9 after asking Nyssa for approval." Percy smiled.

"Awesome." Tony shifted his gaze to the demigods "Wanna help out? There's a lot of stuff."

Percy smiled a bit to himself, appreciating Tony's effort to be friendly with his friends. Natasha still refused to not glare at them, but she seemed less cold.

"That would be really cool!" Leo practically glowed.

"We'd be happy to help." Jason nodded and chuckled with a fond smile.

"Let's not waste any more time then!" Tony grinned, pressing a few buttons on his phone, followed by his suit closing in on itself and flying away.

There was a sudden burst of lightning that startled everyone, Thor landing beside them with a loud bang and a dent in the ground, his hammer in his hand still sizzling as a broad smile stretched over his face. He put his hammer on his belt and wrapped Percy in a bear hug before anyone could speak, laughing with glee.

"Percy my friend! I've missed you in my absence from Midgard!" he beamed, patting Percy's shoulder roughly. Percy winced slightly, rubbing his shoulder with a small smile once they broke apart.

"We thought you wouldn't come." Percy said as his friends looked at Thor curiously.

"And miss meeting your friends? No way!" he smiled, turning to look at the demigods in question "I've heard so much about you." he exclaimed excitedly, almost like he was a fan of some sort.

"From Percy?" Frank asked.

"From Heimdal. But from Percy too, of course." Thor said.

"Heimdal?" Annabeth asked with raised eyebrows.

"He watches over the seven worlds." Thor waved his hand "He sees everything. He told me everything you have done."

They nodded, though they didn't really understand much about that, but knew it was best not to ask for now.

"We were about to go around camp." Percy said kindly.

"What a splendid idea! Show us the way, young Perseus!" Thor said happily.

Percy caught Nyssa and asked her if they could store Tony's equipment in Bunk 9 on their way as they went around camp and saw some of the camp activities. She agreed easily, for which Percy was very grateful.

Once the tour was over they each grabbed boxes from the jet and helped Tony set up everything. Leo gushed and attacked Tony and Bruce with questions as soon as they started walking, talking in a language noone but them spoke.

Percy told them about the job he got and his studies, listened to what his friends were currently up to. It felt really nice to talk to them like this, like a weight had fallen off his chest. He laughed and smiled like he hadn't done in a long time, and it had an obvious effect on everyone. Even Natasha toned down the cold look a little bit and gave off less of a murderous vibe.

When it was time for dinner Chiron allowed the campers to mingle with each other and left the tables free for everyone to sit wherever they wanted. The Avengers sat with Percy and his friends, trading stories and just having a good time in general as they ate. Nico and Will joined them sometime during the evening, and Percy felt like he finally arrived at home. He loved his mother and Paul, her soon to be stepsister, but coming back to Camp was undeniably one of his favourite things. He had forgotten how much he loved the big family Camp Half-Blood essentially was, but now it came rushing back to him and he couldn't be happier.

As they sat around the campfire and the kids started to sing, Percy leaned against Steve with a fond smile, sighing contently. Steve held him close, fingers intertwined in his lap. This was exactly what he had hoped to see. Percy's bright smile and unguarded laughter, the different new expressions he made among his friends. He sighed as well and kissed Percy's temple tenderly. 

As the camfire burned and people toasted marshmallows over the flames, as the air filled with the sound of laughter and song, it felt like home to everyone. Even to the ones who only got to experience it for the first time.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys!  
> It's a much shorter chapter than I would have liked, but I felt guilty for not updating. It's been so long since I last uploaded. The previous chapter is kind of an experiment, because I wanted to squeeze in some intimacy separate from the main 'story' that I still haven't planned out D: I hope you enjoyed this either way.
> 
> Comments and kudos are greatly appreciated as always!


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